www.gradeup.

co

1
www.gradeup.co
GK Tornado for
IBPS Clerk Main 2019
Dear Aspirants,
This GK Tornado is a complete docket of important Banking Awareness & Current Affairs news and events that occurred in last 3 months
(1st September 2019 – 10th December 2019). This file is important and relevant for all competitive exams like Banking, Insurance, SSC and
UPSC Exams.
News related to RBI
December
1. RBI Unveils Guidelines on Small Finance Banks:
Note: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has released
‘Guidelines for ‘on tap’ Licensing of Small Finance Banks
(SFB) in the Private Sector’. The on-tap facility allows RBI
to accept applications and grant licence for banks
throughout the year. Minimum paid-up voting equity
capital/ net worth requirement shall be Rs.200 crore. For
Primary (Urban) Co-operative Banks (UCBs), aspiring to
voluntarily transit into SFBs, initial requirement of net
worth shall be at Rs.100 crores that will have to be
increased to Rs.200 crores within 5 years from date of
commencement of business. Payments Banks like Paytm
an IndiaPost and Fino can apply for conversion into SFB
after 5 years of operations, if they are otherwise eligible as
per these guidelines. As of now, the RBI has issued licences
to 10 SFBs.
2. RBI released fifth bi-monthly Monetary Policy review: The
Reserve Bank of India on December 5, 2019, released its
fifth bi-monthly monetary policy statement for the year
2019-20. In this RBI decided to keep key policy rate
unchanged.
Key rates are as below:
Note: The repo rate under the liquidity adjustment facility
(LAF) left unchanged to 5.15%. The reverse repo rate under
the LAF stands same i.e. 4.90%.
Current Policy Rates:
Policy Repo Rate 5.15%
Reverse Repo Rate 4.90 %
Marginal Standing Facility Rate 5.40%
Bank Rate 5.40%
3. NEFT transactions to be made 24×7 from 16th December
2019:
Note: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) announced that all
bank customers will be able to transfer funds through NEFT
around the clock on all days including weekends and
holidays from December 16, 2019. These transactions after
2
the usual banking hours are set to be automated initiated
using 'Straight Through Processing (STP)' modes by the
banks. The existing discipline for crediting the beneficiary's
account or returning the transaction within 2 hours of
settlement to the originating bank will also continue.
4. RBI Imposes Rs 1.50 crore penalty on Corporation Bank:
Note: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a
monetary penalty of Rs. 1.50 crore on Corporation Bank
for non-compliance with certain provisions of directions.
The penalty has been imposed in the exercise of powers
vested in the RBI under the provisions of Section 47 A (1)
(c) read with Section 46 (4) (i) and 51 (1) of the Banking
Regulation Act, 1949. This action is based on the
deficiencies in regulatory compliance and is not intended
to pronounce upon the validity of any transaction or
agreement entered into by the bank with its customers.
5. Reserve Bank expressed concern over rising bad assets
from Mudra loans:
Note: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has expressed concern
over rising bad loans from Pradhan Mantri MUDRA Yojana
(PMMY). This scheme was announced by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in April 2015, which offers faster credit,
with ticket sizes starting from ₹50,000 and going up to ₹10
lakh, to small businesses. According to RBI, the percentage
of MUDRA loans were at 2.52% in 2017-18, It has now
raised to 2.89% in 2018-19. It also says that the number of
loans being sanctioned under the scheme has increased
greatly.
6. RBI Enhances Scope of Non-Resident Rupee Accounts:
Note: The RBI expanded the scope of Special Non-Resident
Rupee Accounts (SNRR account) by permitting non-
residents to open such accounts for rupee-denominated
overseas borrowings, trade credit and trade invoicing for
popularising cross-border transactions in the domestic
currency. Any person resident outside India, having a
business interest in India, can open a non-interest bearing
Special Non-Resident Rupee Account (SNRR account) with a
www.gradeup.co
bank for bona fide transactions in rupees. The restriction on
the tenure of SNRR account, which is currently 7 years, has
also been removed. RBI has also modified norms regarding
re-export of unsold rough diamonds from the special
notified zone of Customs without export declaration form
(EDF) formality.
7. RBI excluded Vijaya Bank, Dena bank from 2nd schedule of
RBI Act, 1934:
Note: Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has excluded Vijaya Bank
and Dena Bank from the second schedule of the RBI Act,
1934 with effect from April 1, 2019, as they have ceased to
carry on banking business. Because, these public sector
banks (PSBs) were merged into Bank of Baroda on April 1,
2019, hence, they were ceased to operate as banking
companies separately. It should be noted that those banks
included in this schedule are known as scheduled banks in
India while banks not under this schedule are called non-
scheduled banks.
8. RBI raises P2P lending limit five-fold:
Note: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has taken a big step
to promote the peer-2-peer (P2P) sector by increasing the
total loan limit among such lenders from 10 lakh to Rs. 50
lakhs. Presently, the aggregate limit is 10 lakh rupees for all
borrowers and lenders on all P2P platforms. Apart from this,
a single borrower can only take up to a maximum of Rs
50,000 from a lender on all NBFC (Non-Banking Financial
Company)-P2P platforms.
9. RBI revises framework on SAARC currency swap
arrangement:
Note: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has revised the South
Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC)
currency swap arrangement framework for a period of
November 14, 2019, to November 13, 2022. As per the new
framework, RBI continues to offer a swap arrangement
within the overall corpus of USD 2 billion. The drawal can be
made in US Dollars, Euro or Indian Rupee. There are certain
concessions for swap drawal in Indian Rupee.
10. RBI disclosed major wilful defaulter details under RTI act
2005:
Note: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has disclosed list of 30
major wilful defaulters of India. The list was disclosed by RBI
in response to Right to Information (RTI) application of the
RTI act 2005, filed by Indian news website ‘The Wire’ in May
November
1. RBI Enhances Scope of Non-Resident Rupee Accounts:
3
2019. 3 companies of fugitive diamond manufacturer &
businessman Mehul Choksi, were among the 30 major wilful
defaulters. These 30 companies added up to over Rs 50,000
crores of total outstanding advances. Some of the
companies that has been added to the list include Gitanjali
Gems, Rotomac Global, Zoom Developers, Deccan Chronicle
Holdings, Winsome Diamonds, REI Agro, Siddhi Vinayak
Logistics and Kudos Chemie.
11. RBI constitutes a three-member advisory committee for
DHFL:
Note: The Reserve Bank of India(RBI) has set up a 3-member
committee consisting of IDFC First Bank non-executive
chairman Rajiv Lall, ICICI Prudential Life Insurance chief
executive NS Kannan and the mutual funds body AMFI
(Association of Mutual Funds in India) chief executive NS
Venkatesh, before formally sending the case of the troubled
deposit-taking housing finance company- Dewan Housing
Finance Limited (DHFL) for bankruptcy proceedings. This
committee will serve as advisor to the DHFL administrator.
12. RBI supersedes DHFL board to initiate insolvency
proceedings:
Note: The Reserve Bank of India superseded the board of
debt-laden Dewan Housing Finance Corporation Limited
(DHFL) as it intends to shortly initiate the process of
resolution of the company under the insolvency and
bankruptcy rules. The company is all set to become India’s
first financier to land up in bankruptcy courts. The central
bank superseded the board “owing to governance concerns
and defaults by DHFL in meeting various payment
obligations. R Subramaniakumar, ex-MD and CEO of Indian
Overseas Bank has been appointed as the administrator.
13. RBI tightens norms for acquisition of financial assets by
ARCs from sponsors and lenders
Note: The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has tightened norms
for Asset reconstruction companies (ARCs) by barring them
to bilaterally buy assets from banks /financial institutions
(FIs) which is its sponsor, lender or has subscribed to the
fund raised by the ARC for its operations or an entity in the
group to which the ARC belongs. However, RBI allowed ARCs
to participate in auctions of the financial assets, that should
be conducted in a transparent manner, on arm’s length
basis and the prices are set by market forces only.
• To popularise cross-border transactions in Indian
rupee, the Reserve Bank of India has enhanced the
scope of 'Special Non-resident Rupee' (SNRR) account.
www.gradeup.co
• It allows the persons residing outside India to open
such accounts for purposes like external commercial
borrowing and trade credit in Indian rupee.
• Any person resident outside India, having a business
interest in India, can open a non-interest-bearing
Special Non-Resident Rupee Account (SNRR account)
with a bank for bona fide transactions in rupees.
• The restriction on the tenure of SNRR account, which
is currently 7 years, has also been removed.
• RBI has also modified norms regarding re-export of
unsold rough diamonds from the special notified zone
of Customs without export declaration form (EDF)
formality.
2. Banks cannot charge on NEFT transactions from January
2020:
• On the third anniversary of demonetisation, the
Reserve Bank of India (RBI) released a report titled
“Furthering Digital Payments”.
• In the report with a view to promoting 5digital
transactions RBI proposed that from January 2020,
banks can no longer charge savings bank account
holders for online transactions in the NEFT system.
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has now mandated
banks to do this.
3. RBI supersedes DHFL board to initiate insolvency
proceedings:
October
1. Rs 35 lakh penalty on Tamilnad Mercantile Bank:
• The Reserve Bank of India has imposed a penalty of Rs
35 lakh on Tamilnad Mercantile Bank for violating
norms on fraud classification and notification.
• The bank has been penalized for non-compliance with
certain provisions of directions issued by RBI on fraud
classification and reporting by commercial banks and
select FIs directions 2016.
2. NBFC licence for Vreedhi Financial Services:
• The RBI has given a non-banking finance company
licence to Vreedhi Financial Services (VFS).
• Vreedhi Financial Services objective is to provide credit
and other services to micro-enterprises operating in
tier two-three cities and small towns.
• It will address the gap between the addressable and
viable credit in the micro-enterprises space which is
$123 billion as per the study conducted by the
International Finance Corporation (IFC).
3. RBI approves merger of DCBs to form ‘Kerala Bank’:
• The Reserve Bank of India approved the amalgamation
of 13 district cooperative banks (DCBs) with the Kerala
State Cooperative Bank to form the proposed “Kerala
Bank”.
4
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has superseded the
board of Dewan Housing Finance Corporation
Limited (DHFL) as it "intends to shortly" initiate the
process of insolvency.
• In January, a web portal accused the DHFL
promoters of committing financial frauds by creating
shell companies.
• A total of 32 Indian and foreign banks lent Rs 97,000
crore to DHFL Group companies with many borrower
companies having the same addresses, directors, and
auditors.
• DHFL is the fourth-largest Indian housing finance
company based on loans outstanding as of March.
4. RBI imposes Rs 5 lakh fine on Oxigen Services
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has imposed a fine of
Rs 5 lakh on prepaid payment instrument Oxigen
Services.
• The move was taken in exercise of powers vested
under Section 30 of the Payment and Settlement
Systems Act, 2007, for non-compliance of regulatory
guidelines.
• The fine comes through a speaking order dated
September 17, 2019.
• Oxigen Services facilitates payment processing and
money transfer services.
• Except the Malappuram District Cooperative Bank, all
district banks had approved the scheme of
amalgamation proposed by the State government at
their respective general body meetings.
• RBI also insisted that the State government would
have to consistently infuse additional capital and also
put in place a well-defined governance structure by
amending the KSCS Act.
4. RBI released Consumer Confidence Survey (September 2019):
• The Reserve Bank of India has released the data of the
September 2019 round of its Consumer Confidence
Survey.
• The survey was conducted in 13 major cities:
Ahmedabad, Bengaluru, Bhopal, Chennai, Delhi,
Guwahati, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Kolkata, Lucknow,
Mumbai, Patna and Thiruvananthapuram.
Key Highlights:
• Consumer confidence weakened in September with
both the current situation index and the future
expectations index recording declines.
• Households’ sentiments on the general economic
situation and the employment scenario declined. They
 www.gradeup.co
were less optimistic on their income over the year
ahead than in July 2019.
• Respondents perceived an increase in the price level
over the last 1 year and a majority of them expect
prices to rise further in the coming year.
5. Indiabulls Housing & Lakshmi Vilas Bank merger rejected by
RBI:
• The Reserve Bank of India has rejected the merger
proposal of Indiabulls Housing Finance and Lakshmi
Vilas Bank.
• RBI has rejected the application for voluntary
amalgamation of Indiabulls Housing Finance Ltd. and
Indiabulls Commercial Credit Ltd. with the Lakshmi
Vilas Bank Ltd.
September
1. RBI placed restrictions on PMC Bank – The Reserve Bank of
India has imposed caps on withdrawals made by customers
of Punjab and Maharashtra Cooperative Banks for 6
months.
• The imposition was invoked by the central bank
under Section 35 A of India’s Banking Regulation
act, 1949.
• PMC is spread across 6 states and has a network of
137 branches.
Section 35 A of India’s Banking Regulation act, 1949
• Section 35A of the Banking Regulation act provides
powers to RBI to give directions to banks.
• It enables RBI with the power to take action in order to
prevent a banking company acting detrimental to the
interests of the depositors.
2. RBI expands coverage of Bharat Bill Payment System – In a
consumer friendly initiative, Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
expanded the scope and coverage of Bharat Bill Payment
System (BBPS) to include all categories of billers who raise
recurring bills and payments (except prepaid recharges) as
eligible participants, on a voluntary basis.
• At present, the facility of payment of recurring bills
through BBPS is available only in five segments i.e.
direct to home (DTH), electricity, gas, water and
telecom.
3. Harsh Vardhan committee submitted its report to RBI
Governor - A panel set up by the central bank to suggest
measures to make the housing finance securitization market
more attractive has recommended that the National
Housing Bank (NHB) set up an intermediary with 51%
government ownership.
Note:
• The Reserve Bank of India had constituted a Committee
on the Development of Housing Finance Securitisation
Market, on May 29, 2019, with Dr. Harsh Vardhan,
Senior Advisor, Bain & Co. as the Chairperson.
5
• The merger was crucial for Lakshmi Vilas Bank as it is
now under the prompt corrective action framework of
the RBI due to a high level of bad loans and insufficient
capital.
6. RBI Consumer Confidence Survey, 2019 – According to RBI
Consumer Confidence Survey, the consumer confidence dipped
to a six-year low.
• The federal bank says that this is mainly due to decline
in employment, income and discretionary spending.
• The CSI – Current Situation Index fell to 89.4 whereas
it was recorded as 95.7 in July. Previously the index hit
its low in 2013, when it reached 88.
4. T.N. Manoharan committee submitted its report – A task
force set up by the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) submitted its
report on the development of a secondary market for
corporate loans.
• The task force headed by Canara Bank chairman T.N.
Manoharan recommended setting up of a self-
regulatory body (SRB), which will oversee the proposed
secondary market.
Other recommendations of the Task Force include –
• linking the pricing of all loans to an external benchmark
as the current Marginal Cost of Funds Based Lending
Rate (MCLR) may not be comparable across banks.
• recommended setting up of an online loan sales
platform to conduct auctions of secondary market
loans.
5. RBI orders banks to link lending rate to external interest
rate benchmark – The Reserve Bank of India has made
mandatory for banks to link retail and MSME loans to
external interest rate benchmarks.
• This new norm will be effective from 1st of
October. Under this norm, banks have to link all of
their new loan products, be it personal, housing or
auto to an external benchmark rate.
• Banks have been allowed to choose any benchmark
market interest rate published by the Financial
Benchmarks India Private Ltd (FBIL).
• Banks can choose RBI’s repo rate, government of
India’s three-month treasury bill yield published by
the FBIL, government’s six-month treasury bill yield
published by the FBIL or any other market interest
rate published by the FBIL.
6. RBI has clarified that non-cash withdrawal transactions from
ATMs such as balance enquiry cannot be part of free
transactions
Key points –
 www.gradeup.co
• Banks offers their savings account customers a
certain number of free transactions at ATMs every
month and beyond that they levy charges.
• Now, the Reserve Bank of India or RBI has clarified
the list of transactions at ATMs for which banks
cannot charge their customers.
Banks cannot charge for these ATM transactions:
(i) ATM transactions that fail due to technical reasons like
hardware, software, communication issues will not be counted
as valid ATM transactions for the customer.
(ii) Other ATM transactions that failed due to non-availability of
currency notes, invalid PIN/validations, and other transaction
declines directly attributable to the bank or services provider will
not be counted as valid transactions and cannot be charged.
(iii) Non-cash withdrawal transactions from ATMs such as
balance enquiry, cheque book request, payment of taxes and
funds transfer - which is part of ‘on-us’ transactions - shall also
not be part of the number of free ATM transactions.
Note: At the end of March 2019, the number of ATMs stood at
2.22 lakh, down from 2.21 lakh in the previous year, according to
the RBI's latest report.
7. RBI selected Daffodil Software Pvt Ltd for developing
mobile app for visually impaired – The Reserve Bank of
India (RBI) selected Daffodil Software Pvt Ltd to develop a
mobile phone-based application for visually impaired people
to identify currency notes. It informed the Bombay High
Court that an internet connection would not be required for
its proposed mobile application.
8. Deposit insurance in India covers 92% of accounts, 28% of
banking deposits: RBI
•
According to the Reserve Bank of India data, Deposit
insurance in India covers 92% of the total number of
accounts but only 28% of the total banking deposits.
• At the current level, this insurance cover works out to
0.8 times of per capita income in 2018-19.
• RBI in its annual report said that - “With the current
limit of deposit insurance in India at Rs 1 lakh, the
number of fully protected accounts stood at 200 crores
at the of end-March 2019, which constituted 92% of the
total number of accounts, as against the international
benchmark of 80%.
• In terms of amount, the total insured deposits of Rs
33.7 lakh crore as at end-March 2019 constituted 28%
of assessable deposits of Rs 120 lakh crore, against the
international benchmark of 20% to 30%.
• In August last year, the government scrapped the
Financial Resolution and Deposit Insurance (FRDI) Bill
which had argued a higher share of deposit insurance
for depositors.
Important points to note:
• The Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee
Corporation (DICGC) provides insurance cover to
deposits in all commercial banks.
• Deposit Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation
(DICGC) is a subsidiary of Reserve Bank of India.
• It was established on July 15, 1978 under Deposit
Insurance and Credit Guarantee Corporation Act, 1961,
for the purpose of providing insurance of deposits and
guaranteeing of credit facilities.
• DICGC insures all bank deposits, such as saving, fixed,
current, recurring deposits for up to the limit of Rs. 1
lakh of each deposit in a bank.

Ranking/Indexes

1. Global prosperity index 2019:
• The first-ever Prosperity & Inclusion City Seal and
Awards (PICSA) Index, released in the Basque Country
capital of Bilbao in northern Spain.
• Bangalore emerged as India’s highest-ranked city at
No. 83 in a new index of the world’s 113 cities in
terms of economic and social inclusivity.
• Delhi at 101 and Mumbai at 107 are the other Indian
cities to make at the index,
• with the top 20 awarded a PICSA Seal as the world’s
highest-ranked cities building inclusive prosperity.
• Zurich in Switzerland topped the list while Austrian
capital, Vienna in second place. Copenhagen,
Luxembourg and Helsinki complete the top five.
2. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella tops Fortune's
Businessperson of the Year 2019 list
3.
• India-born Satya Nadella (Chief Executive Officer of
Microsoft) has occupied the top spot in Fortune's
Businessperson of the Year 2019 list.
• The list also includes Ajay Banga (Mastercard CEO)
and Jayshree Ullal (Arista head).
• Fortune's annual Businessperson of the Year list
features 20 business leaders "who tackled audacious
goals, overcame impossible odds, found creative
solutions".
• Top five Fortune’s Businessperson of the Year 2019
are here:
1. Satya Nadella (CEO, Microsoft);
2. Elizabeth Gaines (CEO, Fortescue Metals Group);
3. Brian Niccol (CEO, Chipotle Mexican Grill)
4. Margaret Keane (CEO, Synchrony Financial)
5. Bjorn Gulden (CEO, Puma)
India ranks 59th on IMD World Talent Ranking Report

6
www.gradeup.co
• The International Institute of Management
Development’s (IMD) World Talent Ranking (WTR)
report for the year 2019 was released.
• In the released report, India was ranked at 59th
position, a slip by 6 places on a global annual list of 63
countries. The list was topped by Switzerland.
• The top 10 countries that followed Switzerland were
Denmark(2nd), Sweden(3rd), Austria(4th),
Luxembourg (5th), Norway(6th), Iceland(7th), Finland
(8th), Netherlands (9th) and Singapore(10th).
4. Bangladesh tops business bribery risk in South Asia
• According to the latest Global Bribery Risk Index,
Bangladesh has been identified as the “country with
the highest risk” in terms of bribery threats in South
Asia.
• India has been ranked at 78th in the Global Bribery
Risk Index out of 178 countries.
• In South Asia, Pakistan and Afghanistan are the only
countries where the bribery risk is “high”.
• Except for Bhutan, which has a “low” risk of bribery
demands, the risk level of other countries in the
region is “medium”. Bhutan, which has the lowest risk
score of 41, was placed ranked 52nd.
• The five countries with the lowest bribery risk in the
world are New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Sweden
and Finland.
• The countries with the highest risk are Venezuela,
Yemen, North Korea, South Sudan and Somalia.
5. India Justice Report 2019: Maharashtra holds top, UP
ranks bottom
• According to ‘India Justice Report 2019’, Maharashtra
is the top state in delivering justice to its citizens
followed by Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Punjab and Haryana
in the first-ever ranking of states on their capacity to
deliver justice to citizens.
• The list of seven small states (population less than
one crore each) was topped by Goa, followed by
Sikkim and Himachal Pradesh. In this classification,
Jharkhand, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh are at the bottom.
• The ranking is part of the India Justice Report (IJR)
2019, an initiative of Tata Trusts in collaboration with
Centre for Social Justice, Common Cause,
Commonwealth Human Rights Initiative, DAKSH, TISS-
Prayas and Vidhi Centre for Legal Policy.
6. Singapore is the world's smartest city: IMD Smart City
Index
• According to the IMD Smart City Index, Singapore is
the smartest city in the world.
• The first edition of the IMD Smart City Index 2019
ranks 102 cities worldwide.
• Zurich ranked second and Oslo is the third smartest
city in the world.
Indian cities in the index
7
• Indian city Hyderabad ranked 67 in the list, while the
capital of India, New Delhi is the 68th smart city in the
world.
• On the other hand, Mumbai is the 78th and Bengaluru is
the 79th smart city in the world.
• The index is released by the IMD World Competitiveness
Center’s Smart City Observatory in partnership with
Singapore University of Technology and Design (SUTD).
7. World Digital Competitiveness Rankings – India was
ranked 44th in the IMD World Digital Competitiveness
Ranking.
• In 2018, India was ranked at the 48th position.
• Top 3 countries – (1) United States (2) Singapore (3)
Sweden
• The report is published by the Swiss based
International Institute for Management Development.
The Index ranks the countries based on the following three
factors:
• Knowledge: The capacity to understand and learn new
technologies.
• Technology: The competence to develop new digital
innovations.
• Future readiness: The preparedness for the coming
developments.
8. NITI Aayog’s School Education Quality Index – Kerala has
topped the “School Education Quality Index” launched by
NITI Aayog.
• The School Education Quality Index assesses States on
the basis of learning outcomes, access, equity and
infrastructure and facilities, using survey data, self-
reported data from States and third-party verification.
Key points of the report
• Uttar Pradesh was ranked at the bottom of the list.
• Chandigarh has topped the list of Union Territories.
• Tamil Nadu was the top performer in access and
equity outcomes, while Karnataka led in learning
outcomes. Haryana had the best infrastructure and
facilities.
• Among smaller States, Manipur emerged as the best
performer.
9. Times Higher Education released “World University
Rankings 2020” – World University Rankings 2020,
published by the United Kingdom (UK) based Times Higher
Education (THE).
• The University of Oxford is the number one university
in the world for the fourth time in a row.
• The California Institute of Technology stands at the
second place and the University of Cambridge fell to
the third rank this year.
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Ropar and Indian
Institute of Science (IISc) Bangalore were ranked
www.gradeup.co
number 1 among the 56 Indian institutes on the list of
the best universities of the world.
10. Global Firepower Index: Indian military strongest in
South Asia
• In the Global Firepower's 2019 Military Strength
Ranking, the Indian military has been ranked as the
strongest military power in South Asia.
• While Pakistan has been ranked the second and
Bangladesh is ranked the third most powerful military
power in South Asia.
• In the world ranking, the United States has topped the
list, followed by Russia, and China.
• India has been ranked at 4th position in the world
ranking.
11. India ranked at 34th position on world travel and tourism
competitiveness index
• According to the World Economic Forum (WEF)
report, India has jumped 6 places to claim 34th spot
on world Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index
2019.
• The WEF report shows, over 1.5 crore international
tourists arrived in India while the share of travel and
tourism industry was 3.6 per cent and that of industry
employment was 5.1 per cent.
• Spain tops the ranking index followed by France and
Germany.
• Other countries in the top 10 include Japan, the
United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Italy,
Canada, and Switzerland.
12. India among top 10 nations in gold reserves –
• India has surpassed the Netherlands to move into the
list of top10 countries in terms of total gold reserves.
• According to the World Gold Council, India has gold
reserves totalling 618.2 tonnes, which is marginally
higher than the Netherlands’ reserves of 612.5
tonnes.
• According to the World Gold Council, the U.S. leads
the country list with total gold reserves of 8,133.5
tonnes followed by Germany with 3,366.8 tonnes.
• In terms of individual countries, India actually ranks
9th since the International Monetary Fund (IMF)
occupies the third position after the U.S. and
Germany.
13. ‘Statue of Unity’, Mumbai’s Soho House among Time’s
100 greatest places in the world
• The 597-ft tall ‘Statue of Unity’ in Gujarat and
Mumbai’s Soho House have been featured by the
Time magazine in its second annual list of the 2019
World’s greatest places, in a compilation of 100 new
and newly “noteworthy destinations.
• The ‘Statue of Unity’, the world’s tallest statue, is a
tribute to Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, independent
8
India’s first home minister as well as deputy prime
minister.
• Soho House Mumbai is Asia’s first Soho House that
puts a local spin on the “formula that has allowed
Nick Jones’ members--only clubs to blossom across
the US and Europe”.
14. India ranks 9th on “Global Happiness Survey” by Ipsos
• According to a “Global Happiness Survey” by Ipsos,
Indian has been ranked 9th on the happiness index
among 28 global markets.
• For India, there has been a six per cent drop (from 83
per cent in 2018 to 77 per cent in 2019).
• Australia and Canada at the top spot (at 86 per cent)
have emerged as the happiest nations of the world,
While Russia (47 per cent) emerged at the bottom of
the heap, among the 28 markets.
15. Delhi, Mumbai fall in EIU’s Global Liveability Index 2019
• Economist Intelligence Unit’s Global Liveability Index
for 2019, released with both Delhi and Mumbai sliding
down ranks.
• New Delhi dropped 6 places to 118, from 112 last year
and Mumbai also fell in this year’s index, by two
places to 119, from 117 last year.
• Vienna in Austria, Melbourne and Sydney in Australia
make the top three cities.
• The survey ranks countries across indicators including
stability, healthcare, education, infrastructure, culture
and environment.
16. Mumbai at 45th spot and Delhi at 52nd in World Safe
Cities Index 2019
• According to a report of Economist Intelligence Unit,
Mumbai has been ranked as the 45th safest city on
the Safe Cities Index (SCI) 2019, while Delhi stood at
the 52nd position.
• Tokyo taking the top spot, while Singapore and Osaka
came 2nd and 3rd in the list.
17. Karnataka tops the State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness
Index –
• The State Rooftop Solar Attractiveness Index-SARAL
was launched during the Review Planning and
Monitoring (RPM) Meeting with States and State
Power Utilities.
• Karnataka has topped the index which evaluates
Indian states based on their attractiveness for rooftop
development.
• SARAL has been designed collaboratively by the
Ministry of New and Renewable Energy (MNRE),
Shakti Sustainable Energy Foundation (SSEF),
Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry of
India (ASSOCHAM) and Ernst & Young (EY).
18. Akshay Kumar in 4th spot in Forbes highest paid actors
list 2019
www.gradeup.co
• Bollywood Actor Akshay Kumar has made it to the 4th
position on the Forbes magazine’s Worlds Highest-
Paid Actors Of 2019 list.
• Akshay has raked in $65 million. Hollywood star
Dwayne ‘Rock’ Johnson tops the Forbes list of the 10
highest-paid actors.
19. India slips to 7th largest economy in 2018
• According to the World Bank, India has been pushed
to the 7th place in the global GDP rankings in 2018.
• In 2017, India had emerged as the 6th largest
economy.
• The US remains the top economy with a GDP of $20.5
trillion in 2018.
• China was the 2nd largest economy with $13.6 trillion,
while Japan took the 3rd place with $5 trillion.
• India’s GDP was at $2.7 trillion in 2018, while UK and
France were at $2.8 trillion.
• India still remains the fastest-growing major economy
in the world.
20. London named the world’s best city for students -
• London has named the world’s best city for students
for the 2nd consecutive year, beating Tokyo and
Melbourne that came 2nd and 3rd, respectively, on a
new worldwide ranking.
• According to the rankings, India’s best student city is
Bengaluru (81st), followed by Mumbai (85th), Delhi at
113th and Chennai at 115th, out of a total of 120th
cities in the list.
• The QS Best Student Cities Ranking compiled by global
education consultancy QS Quacquarelli Symonds
highlights each city’s performance across different
categories.
21. India is the 46th highest risk country in the world: Water
Stress Index 2019
• According to the Water Stress Index 2019, formulated
by London-based risk analytics firm Verisk Maplecroft,
India is the 46th highest risk country in the world.
• 11 out of India’s 20 largest cities face an ‘extreme risk’
of water stress and 7 are in the ‘high risk’ category.
Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Nashik, Jaipur,
Ahmedabad and Indore are among the cities facing
‘extreme risk’.
• Chennai is the “tip of the iceberg” for India’s water-
stressed cities.
22. Global Innovation Index 2019 – On July 24, 2019, Union
Minister of Commerce & Industry and Railways, Piyush
Goyal launched the 12th Edition of the Global Innovation
Index (GII) for the year 2019 in New Delhi.
• The theme of the 2019 GII is “Creating Healthy Lives –
The Future of Medical Innovation”.
• Global Index is published annually by Cornell
University, INSEAD (Institut Européen
9
d’Administration des Affaires) and the United Nations
World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) and
GII Knowledge Partners.
• It ranked 129 economies based on 80 indicators,
ranging from intellectual property filing rates to
mobile-application creation, education spending and
scientific and technical publications.
• The headquarters of World Intellectual Property
Organisation (WIPO) is in Geneva, Switzerland.
Ranking
• India was ranked 52nd in 2019 with the score 36.58 out of
100 from 57th position in 2018.
• Top 3 countries – Switzerland, Sweden and United States
of America.
23. Global Multidimensional Poverty Index -
• The MPI provides a comprehensive and in-depth
picture of global poverty – in all its dimensions – and
monitors progress towards Sustainable Development
Goal (SDG) 1 – to end poverty in all its forms.
• The global Multidimensional Poverty Index (MPI) is
published by United Nation Development Programme
(UNDP)
Key findings
• Across 101 countries, 1.3 billion people—23.1
percent—are multidimensionally poor.
• Two-thirds of multidimensionally poor people live in
middle-income countries.
• One in every three children (under the age of 10) and
every second child below the age of 18 years is
multidimensionally poor in the world.
• About 34% of the world’s children and 17.5% adults
covered under MPI survey are multidimensionally
poor.
• One adult in six is multidimensionally poor compared
with one child in three, hence children are more
prone to multidimensional poverty than adults.
Indian Scenario
• India’s MPI value reduced from 0.283 in 2005-06 to 0.123
in 2015-16.
• India has lifted 271 million people out of poverty between
2006 and 2016, recording the fastest reductions in the
multidimensional poverty index.
• India and Cambodia has reduced their MPI values the
fastest among the 10 selected countries for which changes
over time were analysed.
• Jharkhand has reduced the incidence of poverty at a faster
pace than other regions (reduced the incidence of
multidimensional poverty from 74.9% in 2005-06 to 46.5%
in 2015-16).
• India (along with Ethiopia and Peru) significantly reduced
deprivations in all 10 indicators, namely nutrition,
www.gradeup.co
sanitation, child mortality, drinking water, years of
schooling, electricity, school attendance, housing, cooking
fuel and assets.
• MPI reduced from 640 million people (55.1%) in 2005-
2006 to 369 million people (27.9%) in 2015-16.
24. Singapore tops Asia in Dell Global Women Entrepreneur
Cities Index 2019
• According to the latest “Women Entrepreneur Cities
Index 2019”, sponsored by Dell and conducted by
London-based global information provider, IHS
Markit, San Francisco Bay Area has topped the list
with 63.7 points followed by New York (62.9 points)
and London(3rd ).
• Singapore tops in Asian city ranked at 21st position,
while Indian cities Bengaluru (Karnataka) and Delhi
were ranked 43rd (7th in Asia) and 50th (10th in Asia)
respectively.
25. Chandigarh best performing state in the field of
education in the Performance Grading Index 2017-18
• Ministry of Human Resource Development (HRD)
informed that in the Performance Grading Index
2017-18, Chandigarh was ranked best among States
and Union territories (UTs) in the field of education.
• The Index ranked the states on the basis of 5
parameters including learning outcomes and quality,
access, infrastructure and facilities, equity and
governance process. 36 States/ UTs were ranked in
the Index.
• Other Rankings: Kerala was ranked second followed
by Gujarat (3), Haryana (4), Tamil Nadu (5), Punjab (7),
Rajasthan (8), Delhi(9).
• Least Rankings: Arunachal Pradesh (36), Nagaland (35)
and Meghalaya (34) were the least performing states.
• Literacy: Kerala had the highest literacy rate followed
by Lakshadweep and Mizoram.
26. Public Affairs Index 2018: Kerala Best Governed State,
Bihar Worst
• Kerala is the best governed state in the country,
according to a survey released by a Bengaluru think-
tank, Public Affairs Centre.
• As per the report, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Karnataka
and Gujarat are among the top five states delivering
good governance.
• Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and
Odisha ranked the lowest on the index, indicating
higher social and economic inequalities.
• Among smaller states – with the population less than
two crore – Himachal Pradesh topped the list of states
with good governance, followed by Goa, Mizoram,
Sikkim and Tripura.
10
• Meghalaya performed the worst in this list. Manipur,
Nagaland, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir were the
other poor performers.
• This year’s index also measured how child-friendly
each state is. Kerala, Himachal Pradesh and Mizoram
topped this index.
27. India ranked 86th in the Henley Passport Index 2019
• The Henley Passport Index 2019 have ranked the
Indian passport on the 86th position with a mobility
score of 58.
• Japan and Singapore hold the top spot with a score of
189.
• The index includes 199 passports and 227 travel
destinations including micro-states and territories.
28. Global Peace Index 2019: India Ranks 141
• India’s ranked141 among 163 countries on the Global
Peace Index 2019.
• Iceland remains the most peaceful country and
Afghanistan the least peaceful nation.
• New Zealand has been ranked the second most
peaceful country.
• Portugal was ranked third, and Austria fourth and
Denmark was fifth most peaceful country in the
world.
• The report is prepared by Australian think tank
Institute for Economics & Peace.
29. Maharashtra ranks first in NITI Aayog’s AMFFR Index –
Maharashtra achieves first rank in NITI Aayog launched
“Agricultural Marketing and Farmer Friendly Reforms
Index (AMFFRI)”.
• Gujarat secured the second rank with a score of 71.5
out of 100, followed by Rajasthan and Madhya
Pradesh.
• The index ranks states based on the degree of reforms
they have undertaken in agricultural marketing.
• AMFFRI has a score that can have minimum value “0”
implying no reforms and maximum value “100”
implying complete reforms in the selected areas.
30. NITI Aayog’s Health Index 2019 - Kerala took the top spot
among larger states for overall performance on health
indicators in a NITI Aayog report, followed by Andhra
Pradesh and Maharashtra.
• Uttar Pradesh is the worst state in the index.
Key points
• Gujarat, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh stood at
fourth, fifth and sixth spots.
• The ranking was done under three categories -- larger
states, smaller states and Union territories (UTs) -- to
ensure comparison among similar entities.
• In terms of annual incremental performance among
the larger states, Haryana, Rajasthan and Jharkhand
are the top-three states.
www.gradeup.co
• Among the smaller states, Mizoram ranked first in
overall performance, while Tripura and Manipur were
the top-two states in terms of incremental
performance.
• Among the UTs, Chandigarh ranked first in overall
performance, while Dadra and Nagar Haveli improved
the most.
• Niti Aayog member Vinod Kumar Paul said the Union
government should spend 2.5 per cent of gross
domestic product on health.
• Kerala and Tamil Nadu have already reached the 2030
SDG target for neonatal mortality rate (NMR), which is
12 neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births.
• The report has been prepared in collaboration with
the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with
technical assistance from the World Bank.
• The second round of the Health Index took into
account the period 2015-16 (base year) to 2017-18
(reference year).
31. Global Gender Equality Index Released: India Ranks 95
• India ranked 95th out of 129 countries in a new index
that measures global gender equality looking at
aspects such as poverty, health, education, literacy,
political representation and equality at the workplace.
• The list was topped by Denmark followed by Finland
and Sweden.
• Chad was placed at bottom most position (129th).
• The Index is developed by Equal Measures 2030, a
partnership effort of regional and global
organisations.
• Indicators: It includes 51 indicators across 14 of 17
official Sustainable Development Goals (SDG).
32. IIT Bombay has emerged the country’s best university:
QS Rankings
• IIT Bombay has emerged the country’s best university
for the second consecutive year in the 2019 QS World
University Ranking.
• Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) was
named the world’s best for a record eighth
consecutive year.
• Twenty-three Indian institutes feature in the sixteenth
edition of the QS World University Ranking in which
IIT Bombay (152), IIT Delhi (182) and Indian Institute
of Science Bangalore (184) are ranked in the global
top 200.
• The ranking is produced by global higher education
consultancy Quacquarelli Symonds, QS ranks the
world’s top 1,000 universities.
33. IMD World Competitiveness Rankings 2019
• India ranked at 43rd position in the most competitive
economy in the world.
• In 2018 India was ranked at 44th place.
11
• Singapore has grabbed the top position.
• Hong Kong SAR is in second position and US has
slipped to the third place in 2019.
• The ranking is compiled by International Institute for
Management Development (IMD).
34. India Ranks 140th In World Press Freedom Index –
• India ranked 140th out of 180 countries in the
World Press Freedom Index 2019.
• Index is released by Reporters Without Borders.
• The index is topped by Norway followed by
Finland and Sweden.
35. WEF Global Energy Transition Index – India rank 76th on a
global energy transition index.
• The report stated that India is amongst the
countries with high pollution levels and has a
relatively high CO2 intensity in its energy system.
• Sweden remains on the top and is followed by
Switzerland and Norway in the top three.
• The index is compiled by Geneva-based World
Economic Forum (WEF).
36. World Happiness Report 2019 – India is ranked 140th out
of 156 nations.
• The World Happiness Report was released by the
Sustainable Development Solutions Network for
the United Nations.
• For the second consecutive year, Finland topped
the list.
• Denmark ranked second followed by Norway.
• Pakistan ranked 67th, Bhutan 95th, China 93rd,
Bangladesh 125th, and Sri Lanka 130th while
South Sudan ranked last in the World Happiness
Report.
37. Inclusive Internet Index 2019 – India has been ranked
47th.
• Sweden has topped the rankings followed by
Singapore and the US.
• The Inclusive Internet Index 2019 was prepared
by the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) for
Facebook.
• The ‘Inclusive Internet’ score was based on the
scores of availability, affordability, relevance and
readiness categories.
38. International IP index 2019
• India has jumped eight places to 36th position on the
International Intellectual Property (IP) Index.
• The US, the UK, Sweden, France and Germany
remained the top five economies on the intellectual
property index in 2019
• In 2018, India was ranked at 44th position.
39. Corruption Perception Index 2018
www.gradeup.co
• India has improved its ranking by 3 points by moving
onto 78th position in the Corruption Perceptions
Index 2018 published by Transparency International.
• China and Pakistan, in a list of 180 countries, lagged
far behind than India at 87th and 117th position
respectively.
40. India ranks 54th in 'Bloomberg Innovation Index’ of 60
economies
• India has grabbed the 54th spot among 60 countries
in the Bloomberg Innovation Index with a score of
47.93 out of 100.
• South Korea has topped the Bloomberg Innovation
Index for the sixth time in a row with a total score of
87.38.
• Germany ranked second, Finland stood on the third
spot.
41. Global Talent Competitive Index 2019:
• India ranked at 80th positions on the Global Talent
Competitive Index (GTCI) 2019.
• The index is released by INSEAD business school in
partnership with Tata Communications and Adecco
Group.
• Switzerland topped the index which is followed by
Singapore and the US.
• Last year in 2018, India was ranked at 81st position.
42. Democracy Index 2019: The Economist Intelligence Unit
(EIU) has released the Democracy Index which ranks 167
countries by 60 indicators across five broad categories.
• Top 3 countries in the list are – Norway, Iceland and
Sweden.
• Australia and New Zealand are the only “full
democracies” in the entire Asia-Pacific region
• India was at the 41st place with a score of 7.23/10
and was placed in the flawed democracies category.
43. Three Indian origin CEOs in the top 10 best performing
CEOs of the world:
• Among the top 10 chief executives on the list, 3 spots
have been occupied by the Indian-origin CEOs.. in the
Best-Performing CEOs in the World, 2019′ list
compiled by the Harvard Business Review (HBR).
• Adobe CEO Shantanu Narayen was ranked 6th,
MasterCard CEO Ajay Banga ranked at 7th and
Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella ranked at 9th spot.
• The list also features India-born CEO of DBS Bank
Piyush Gupta on the 89th spot. Apple CEO Tim Cook
was ranked 62nd in the list.
• The 2019 list has 4 female CEOs in the top 50 of the
rankings.
• The List features 100 CEOs which has been topped by
the American technology company NVIDIA’s CEO
Jensen Huang.
12
44. Bill Gates regains world’s richest person title:
• Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates overtook Jeff Bezos to
become the world’s richest person.
• Amazon founder and CEO Jeff Bezos lost the title to
Bill Gates, after losing nearly $7 billion in stock value
leaving his net worth to $103.9 billion.
• Microsoft co-founder Bill Gates is currently worth
$105.7 billion.
• Bezos ended Gates’ 24-year run as the richest man in
2018 and became the first man on earth with a net
worth of $160 billion.
• Bill Gates debuted on Forbes’ first ever billionaire list
in 1987 with a net worth of $1.25 billion.
45. World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business Ranking, India
ranked at 63rd:
• World Bank has released Ease of Doing business
Rankings which includes 190 countries.
• India has jumped 14 places and has been ranked at
63rd.
• New Zealand and Somalia retained their 1st and
190th spot respectively.
• From 2020, the World Bank has expanded its ease of
doing business survey to 2 more cities: Bengaluru and
Kolkata in addition to Delhi and Mumbai that are
currently surveyed.
• The World Bank has decided to have four cities from
every country with a population above 100 million.
46. IIT-Bombay again tops this year’s QS India University
Rankings 2020
• The latest 2 edition of Quacquarelli Symonds (QS)
India University Rankings 2020 released.
• The Indian Institute of Technology Bombay (IITB) has
again topped all Indian Institutes in the list with an
overall score of 88.5 followed by IISc- Indian Institute
of Science, Bangalore (ranked 2 with 84.7 score) &
Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IITD),which has
improved a notch to rank 3 with 82.2 scores.
47. 2019 World Giving Index:
• India ranked 82 spots among the 128 countries
surveyed in the World Giving Index (WGI).
• The average figures for India over the past decade
show that 34 per cent people helped a stranger, 24
per cent donated money and 19 per cent volunteered
or donated their time.
• According to the WGI, the USA stood at the top
followed Myanmar, New Zealand and Australia.
48. India ranked 102 in Global Hunger Index 2019:
• As per the 2019 Global Hunger Index (GHI) 2019, India
has has slipped from 95th ranks in 2010 to 102nd out
of 117 qualifying countries, with a score of 30.3.
www.gradeup.co
• Seventeen countries, including Belarus, Ukraine,
Turkey, Cuba and Kuwait, shared the top rank with
GHI scores less than 5.
• There were only four countries in the alarming hunger
category are Madagascar, Chad, Yemen and the
Central African Republic in the extremely alarming
hunger category.
• The report warned that climate change was causing
alarming levels of hunger and making it more difficult
to feed people in the world’s most vulnerable regions.
• The Global Hunger Index is a peer-reviewed annual
report, jointly published by Concern Worldwide and
Welthungerhilfe.
Economy News
Key Highlights of Economic Survey 2018-19
The Union Minister for Finance and Corporate Affairs, Smt. Nirmala Sitharaman tabled the Economic Survey 2018-19 in the Parliament on
04th July 2019.
The Key Highlights of Economic Survey 2018-19 are as
follows:
• This is the first survey by the new chief economic
advisor Krishnamurthy V Subramanian.
• The theme of Economic Survey, 2018-19 is "Shifting
Gears towards a $5 trillion Indian economy by 2024-
25”.
• Sustained real GDP growth rate of 8% needed for a $5
trillion economy by 2024-25.
• “Virtuous Cycle” of savings, investment and exports
catalyzed and supported by a favorable demographic
phase required for sustainable growth.
Key ingredients for a self-sustaining virtuous cycle:
• Presenting data as a public good.
• Emphasizing legal reforms.
• Ensuring policy consistency.
• Encouraging behavior change using principles of
behavioral economics.
• Nourishing MSMEs to create more jobs and become
more productive.
• Reducing the cost of capital.
• Rationalizing the risk-return trade-off for investments.
Behavioural Economics for Social Change
• The survey has drawn on Nobel Laureate Richard
Thaler’s Behavioural Economics Theory to lay out an
“ambitious agenda" for behavior change that will
bring in social change, which in turn, will help India
transit to a $5 trillion economy by 2024-25.
• Decisions by real people deviate from impractical
robots theorized in classical economics. Behavioral
13
• The aim of the GHI is to trigger action to reduce
hunger around the world.
49. Global Competitiveness Index be WEF; India Ranks at
68th:
• World Economic Forum has released the Global
Competitiveness Index report 2019.
• As per the WEF’s released report, India has moved
down 10 places to rank 68th on an annual global
competitiveness index which was topped by
Singapore.
• India is among the worst-performing BRICS nations
along with Brazil which is ranked 71st this year.
economics provides insights to ‘nudge’ people
towards desirable behavior.
Using insights from behavioral economics to create an
aspirational agenda for social change:
• From ‘Beti Baco Beti Padhao’ to ‘BADLAV’ (Beti Aapki
Dhan Lakshmi Aur Vijay Lakshmi).
• From ‘Swachh Bharat’ to ‘Sundar Bharat’.
• From ‘Give it up” for the LPG subsidy to ‘Think about the
Subsidy’.
• From ‘Tax evasion’ to ‘Tax compliance’.
Nudge Theory
• American economist Richard Thaler has won the 2017
Nobel Prize in economics for his contributions to
behavioural economics.
• According to Nudge theory, people, rather than being
forced, can be encouraged and influenced to pursue or
desist from certain actions through nudges.
• It does not talk about penalizing people if they do not
behave in a particular manner, rather it encourages them
to make desirable decisions.
• It believes that Humans are not-so-rational and often need
encouragement or intervention — a nudge — to get going
and do what’s best for the country or society at large.
Policies for MSME Growth
• The survey highlights the importance of intervention
in the case of “Dwarfs”.
• Dwarfs are the firms with less than 100 workers
despite being more than 10 years old.
• They account for more than 50% of all organized firms
in manufacturing by number.
• Contribution of dwarfs to employment is only 14%
and to the productivity is a mere 8%.
www.gradeup.co
• Large firms (more than 100 employees) account for
75% employment and close to 90% of productivity
despite accounting for about 15% by number.
Minimum Wage System & Inclusive Growth
• Survey proposes a well-designed minimum wage system
as a potent tool for protecting workers and alleviating
poverty.
• The survey supports rationalization of minimum wages as
proposed under the Code on Wages Bill. Minimum wages
to all employments/workers.
Current Scenario:
• Present minimum wage system in India has 1,915
minimum wages for various scheduled job categories
across states.
• 1 in every 3 wage worker in India is not protected by the
minimum wage law.
Setting a National Floor Level Minimum Wage:.
• The Survey now suggests that the Central
Government should notify a national floor minimum
wage that can vary across five geographical regions.
Criteria for setting minimum wage:
• The Survey suggests that the Code on Wages Bill
should consider fixing minimum wages based on
either of two factors: (a) the skill category i.e.
unskilled, semi-skilled, skilled and highly skilled; and
(b) the geographical region, or else both.
• For instance, Madhya Pradesh has notified minimum
wages based on just four skill levels of unskilled,
semiskilled, skilled and highly skilled across
occupations and regions. The state has just four basic
minimum wages for the four skill categories."
Enabling Inclusive Growth through Affordable, Reliable and
Sustainable Energy
• India now stands at 4th in wind power, 5th in solar power
and 5th in renewable power installed capacity.
• Market share of electric cars only 0.06% in India while it is
2% in China and 39% in Norway.
• Thermal power still plays a dominant role at 60% share.
State of the Economy in 2018-19:
• India still the fastest growing major economy in 2018-19.
• Growth of GDP moderated to 6.8 per cent in 2018-19 from
7.2 per cent in 2017-18.
• Inflation contained at 3.4 per cent in 2018-19.
• Non-Performing Assets as percentage of Gross Advances
reduced to 10.1 per cent at end December 2018 from 11.5
per cent at end March 2018.
• Current account deficit manageable at 2.1 percent of GDP.
• Fiscal deficit of Central Government declined from 3.5
percent of GDP in 2017-18 to 3.4 percent in 2018-19.
14
Fiscal Developments
• FY 2018-19 ended with fiscal deficit at 3.4 per cent of GDP
and debt to GDP ratio of 44.5 per cent (Provisional).
Sustainable Development and Climate Change
• India’s SDG Index Score ranges between 42 and 69 for
States and between 57 and 68 for UTs:
• Kerala and Himachal Pradesh are the front runners with a
score of 69 amongst states.
• Chandigarh and Puducherry are the front runners with a
score of 68 and 65 respectively among the UTs.
• Namami Gange Mission launched as a key policy priority
towards achieving the SDG 6, with a budget outlay of INR.
20,000 crore for the period 2015-2020.
External Sector
• As per WTO, World trade growth slowed down to 3 per
cent in 2018 from 4.6 per cent in 2017.
• Top export items continue to be Petroleum products,
precious stones, drug formulations, gold and other
precious metals.
• Top import items continue to be Crude petroleum, pearl,
precious, semi-precious stones and gold.
• India’s main trading partners continue to be the US, China,
Hong Kong, the UAE and Saudi Arabia.
Agriculture and Food Management
• Dairying as India is the largest producer of milk.
• Fisheries sector, as India is the second largest producer.
• 89% of groundwater extracted is used for irrigation.
• Organic and natural farming techniques including Zero
Budget Natural Farming (ZBNF) can improve both water
use efficiency and soil fertility.
About Zero Budget Natural Farming
• Zero Budget Natural Farming, as the name implies, is
a method of farming where the cost of growing and
harvesting plants is zero.
• This means that farmers need not purchase fertilizers
and pesticides in order to ensure the healthy growth
of crops.
• It is, basically, a natural farming technique that uses
biological pesticides instead of chemical-based
fertilizers. Farmers use earthworms, cow dung, urine,
plants, human excreta and such biological fertilizers
for crop protection. It reduces farmers’ investment. It
also protects the soil from degradation.
• Zero budget natural farming requires only 10 per cent
water and 10 per cent electricity than what is
required under chemical and organic farming.
Industry and Infrastructure
• Overall Index of Eight Core Industries registered a
growth rate of 4.3 percent in 2018-19.
www.gradeup.co
• India’s ranking improved by 23 to 77th position in
2018 among 190 countries assessed by the World
Bank Doing Business (DB) Report, 2019.
• Total telephone connections in India touched 118.34
crore in 2018-19
Services Sector
• Services sector (excluding construction) has a share of
54.3 per cent in India’s GVA and contributed more than
half of GVA growth in 2018-19.
• Services share in employment is 34 per cent in 2017.
December
1. NSIC & ARAMCO Asia signs MoU for development in Oil
& Gas Sector:
Note: A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been
signed between National Small Industries Corporation
(NSIC) and Suadi Aramco (Asia) for the development of
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Ecosystem
in India in Oil & Gas Sector. The MoU will pave a way for
accredited Indian MSMEs to carve out a space as vendors
in Global space.
2. United States shuts down WTO appeal court:
Note: The Appeal Court of the World Trade Organization
that acts as trade dispute settlement body for the
members was shut down by the United States on
December 9, 2019. The seven-member body that was cut
down to a 3-member body in 2018 is now completely
blocked by the United States. Without WTO’s appellate
body, the dispute settlement will return to pre-1995 GATT
(General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade) status quo.
3. Alliance Air flags off Guwahati-Dimapur-Imphal flight
under UDAN-RCS
Note: Air India owned Alliance Air has flagged-off its first
flight operations between Guwahati in Assam to Dimapur
(largest city of Nagaland) and Imphal (capital of Manipur),
under the Regional Connectivity Scheme – Ude Desh Ka
Aam Nagrik (RCS-UDAN). This direct 50-minute-long flights
connecting Guwahati-Dimapur-Imphal is under a Regional
Connectivity Scheme (RCS), part of government’s Ude
Desh ka Aam Nagrik (UDAN) programme.
4. Jharkhand’s Mahuamilan station becomes country’s
5500th station to get free wifi facility
Note: Jharkhand’s Mahuamilan station which comes
under East Central Railway (ECZ) zone has become 5500th
station to get free wifi facility. The RailTel Corporation of
India Ltd. (RCIL), the digital arm of Indian Railways, has
thus provided free WiFi at 5,500 stations across country.
15
Social Infrastructure, Employment and Human Development
Government expenditure (Centre plus States) as a percentage of
GDP on
• Health: increased to 1.5 per cent in 2018-19 from 1.2 per
cent in 2014-15.
• Education: increased from 2.8 per cent to 3 per cent
during this period.
RailTel is a ‘Miniratna’ enterprise that focuses on
providing broadband and VPN services.
5. Foreign Exchange reserve touches a new high of 451.08
billion USD
Note: According to the weekly data released by the
Reserve Bank of India, the foreign exchange reserve
touched a new high of 451.08 billion USD. The foreign
exchange currency assets include the depreciation or
appreciation of the non-US currency like pound, Euro and
Yen as well. The increase is mainly due to the rise in
foreign currency assets. The Gold reserves of India also
declined by 148 million USD.
6. Artificial Intelligence introduced as a subject in CBSE
schools
Note: The Ministry of Human Resource and Development
has introduced Artificial Intelligence in classes VIII, IX and
X in CBSE schools. The study materials have already been
provided to the schools through official CBSE website. The
CBSE has collaborated with several organization like
Microsoft, Intel, IBM and so on in order to create the
module of Artificial Intelligence.
7. CSIR, BHEL signs MoU to push ‘Make in India’ initiative
Note: The Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR)
has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with
Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) on
promotion of honey production Khadi outlets to also
display CSIR products. MoU is signed to leverage expertise
available in CSIR with effort of KVIC for promotion of
honey production as well as to enable wider outreach of
CSIR technologies and products.
8. Sarai Sewage Treatment Plant inaugurated in
Uttarakhand
Note: King Carl XVI Gustaf and Queen Silvia of Sweden
inaugurated Sarai Sewage Treatment Plant (STP) in
Uttarakhand. The Swedish King and Queen are on a five-
day visit to India to strengthen bilateral ties.It is the first
www.gradeup.co
STP to be completed under Hybrid Annuity (HAM) Based
Public Private Partnership Model (PPPM).
9. Cabinet approves Bharat Bond Exchange Traded Fund
Note: The union cabinet has approved the launch of
Bharat Bond Exchange Traded Fund (BBETF) in order to
allow the investors to buy government debts. The fund
will allow easy and low-cost access with the smallest
amount of Rs 1000. The BBETF at its initial stages will hold
basket of bonds that are issued by the public sector
undertakings and other government organization bonds. It
will have a maturity period of 3 to 10 years and are
permitted to be traded on stock exchanges.
10. National Public Procurement Conclave held in New Delhi
Note: Union Minister of Commerce and Industry Piyush
Goyal inaugurated the 3rd edition of National Public
Procurement Conclave (NPPC) in New Delhi. The two-day
conclave was organized by Government e-Marketplace
(GeM) in association with Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII). NPCC will be held from 5-6 December 2019.
11. Cabinet apprised of Indo-German strategic collaboration
on Railways
Note: Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra
Modi was notified of Joint Declaration of Intent (JDI)
between India and Germany regarding strategic
cooperation on Railways projects. The Joint Declaration of
Intent was signed by Union Ministry of Railways with
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs and Energy of
Federal Republic of Germany in November 2019. Joint
Declaration of Intent (JDI) will provide a platform to Indian
Railways to interact and share latest developments and
knowledge in field of Railways.
12. Aditya Birla Finance becomes first company to list
commercial papers on stock exchanges
Note: Aditya Birla Finance Ltd (ABFL), the Non-Banking
Financial Company (NBFC) arm of Aditya Birla Capital, has
now become the first company to list its commercial
papers (CPs) on stock exchanges. The move comes after
stock exchanges- the BSE (Bombay Stock Exchange) and
NSE (National Stock Exchange), came out with a
framework for listing of commercial papers (CPs), in a bid
to broaden investors’ participation in such securities.
13. Cabinet approves extension of norms for mandatory
packaging in jute materials
Note: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has
accorded its approval for mandatory packaging of
foodgrains and sugar in jute material for Jute Year 2019-
20. The scope of mandatory packaging norms under Jute
Packaging Material (JPM) Act, 1987 has been retained by
Union Government as per 2018. Cabinet decision
16
mandates that 100% of food grains and 20% of sugar shall
be mandatorily packed in diversified jute bags.
14. Authorised capital of Food Corporation of India increased
to Rs.10000 crore
Note: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA)
approved increasing authorized capital of Food
Corporation of India (FCI) from existing Rs.3,500 crore to
Rs.10,000 crore. CCEA was chaired by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi. FCI’s operations require maintaining
perpetual stock of foodgrains which needs to be funded by
government of India through equity or via long term loan.
Therefore, Centre government is providing equity to FCI
for maintaining stocks.
15. Cabinet approves loan waiver of worth Rs.4 Cr against
Sikkim Mining Corporation
Note: Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) has
approved waiver of repayment of loan and interest
thereon, of nearly worth Rs. 4 crore outstanding against
Sikkim Mining Corporation (SMC) including interest
accrued on total amount from 1 April 2019, till this
approval outstanding against SMC. CCEA is chaired by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
16. Indian Railways sets up Institute of Financial
Management in Hyderabad
Note: The Indian Railway Institute of Financial
Management (IRIFM) has been set up in Hyderabad,
Telangana. This new entity is set up to impart professional
training in management of railway finances. The project
was conceived and constructed by Rail Vikas Nigam
Limited (RVNL) at a cost of Rs 85 crore. IRIFM institution is
based on a 14-acre campus at Moula-Ali, Secunderabad.
17. CBDT inaugurates Web Portal for exchange of
information on Income Tax
Note: Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has
inaugurated the Web Portal for Exchange of Information
on Income Tax which will consolidate all relevant
Automatic Exchange of Information (AEOI) related
information at one place. This portal will help in
convenient access by public, financial institutions as well
as departmental officers at large.
18. Government to launch first fixed income ETF of bluechip
PSUs
Note: Union Government will launch India’s first fixed
income Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) comprising debt
securities of large central public sector enterprises (PSUs)
by mid-December 2019. It will comprise only AAA-rated
papers of the PSU companies. It is expected to have a size
of Rs 15,000 crore to Rs 20,000 crore. It is expected to
improve liquidity in corporate bond market, smoothen
www.gradeup.co
borrowing plans of the participating state-owned
companies and enhance investor base.
19. UKIBC launched Aerospace and Defence Industry Group
Note: In order to boost the bilateral cooperation in the
field of aerospace and defence between India and UK the
United Kingdom India Business Council (UKIBC) announced
the establishment of Aerospace and Defence Industry
Group. The group will advance India’s defence acquisition
process and also foster long-term technology and
hardware transfers. The Aerospace and Defence Industry
Group has been formed after suggestions of the Defence
and Security Organisation of UK defence solution centre.
20. ADB approves $206 million loans to develop water
supply, sewerage infrastructure in 5 cities of Tamil Nadu
Note: The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed $206
million loan agreement with Government of India (GoI) to
develop water supply, sewerage infrastructure in 5 cities
(Ambur,Tiruchirappalli, Tiruppur, Madurai and Vellore) of
Tamil Nadu (TN) and also enhances capacities of urban
local bodies (ULBs) for improved service delivery. It is the
2nd project loan for the ADB-assisted $500 million multi-
tranche financing for TN Urban Flagship Investment
Program, granted in earlier September 2018, that will
develop climate-resilient water supply, sewerage, and
drainage infrastructure in at least 10 cities in Tamil Nadu.
November
1. Government to launch first fixed income ETF of bluechip
PSUs:
• Union Government will launch India’s first fixed
income Exchange Traded Fund (ETF) comprising debt
securities of large central public sector enterprises
(PSUs) by mid-December 2019.
• It will comprise only AAA-rated papers of the PSU
companies.
• It is expected to have a size of Rs 15,000 crore to Rs
20,000 crore.
• It is expected to improve liquidity in corporate bond
market, smoothen borrowing plans of the
participating state-owned companies and enhance
investor base.
• Department of Investment and Public Asset
Management (DIPAM) has appointed Edelweiss Asset
Management as the asset manager for this proposed
debt ETF.
• The tax treatment of this debt ETF will be same as
that of debt mutual funds.
2. IRCTC Revenue doubles; 14% increase in profits
• The earnings from internet ticketing services of IRCTC
(Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation)
increased by 80.8% between the period April, 2019
and September, 2019.
17
21. CRISIL lowers India’s GDP growth rate estimate for FY 20
to 5.1% from 6.3%
Note: The CRISIL formerly known as Credit Rating
Information Services of India Limited has lowered its
estimate of India’s gross domestic product (GDP) growth
rate to 5.1 % for the current financial year –FY20 from an
earlier estimate of 6.3 %. Growth in the second half of
2019-20 will go up to 5.5%, up from 4.75% in the first half.
Crisil’s revision is the lowest since Japan’s brokerage
company Nomura’s 4.7 % estimate, comes within days of
the government figures showing the economic growth
rate in the second quarter (July-September,2019) of the
current financial year came down to 4.5 %.
22. Fiscal deficit for April-Oct hit at 102.4%, crosses full-year
target-CGA
Note: According to the data released by the Controller
General of Accounts (CGA), India’s fiscal deficit for April-
October, 2019 hit at 102.4% of 2019-20 Budget Estimate
(BE) as on October 31, 2019. The fiscal deficit or the gap
between expenditure and revenue was at Rs 7,20,445
crore. In comparison with 2018-19 (last year), the deficit is
lower, as it was at 103.9 percent of 2018-19 BE. In budget,
government has estimated the fiscal deficit for the current
financial year at Rs 7.03 lakh crore, aiming to restrict the
deficit at 3.3 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP).
• IRCTC is an exclusive e-ticketing partner of the Indian
Railways.
• This is the first time IRCTC is releasing its revenue
after it entered the stock market in October, 14, 2019.
Also, the sector has earned huge success in India’s
path of Digitization.
3. GoI merges three Insurance PSUs:
• The GoI will merge 3 public Sector Insurance
Companies as announced in budget 2019-20.
• The merger includes United India Insurance Limited,
National Insurance Co Limited and Oriental Insurance
Company Limited.
• The Budget 2019-2020 did not make provision of
funds for insurers and the Department of Financial
Services. Therefore, the government institutions in
the financial sector are forced to seek supplementary
demands to fulfil their purposes. The Budget allocated
Rs 12,000 crore for this.
• The General Insurance Companies have sought Rs 500
crore to Rs 3000 crore each to avoid falling below
solvency ratio. However, the three companies that
are to be merged are struggling to maintain minimum
solvency ratio of 1.5
4. World Bank’s 300 million USD plan to Develop Kolkata:
www.gradeup.co
• The World Bank has submitted a master plan to
develop logistics infrastructure of Kolkata
metropolitan area. The bank is to invest 300 million
USD in the project. The Government entities
participating in the deal includes CII and the West
Bengal Industrial Development Corporation.
• The focus of the project is to be on construction of rail,
road, industrial parks. The aim of the project is to
improve competitiveness, increase employment.
• The Inland Water Transport World Bank Project, Asian
High way project, Amritsar-Kolkata Industrial Corridor
are the current prominent infrastructural
developments in the region
5. AIIB to invest 100 million USD in solar and wind projects
in India:
• The Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank (AIIB) which
is headquartered at Beijing expects an investment of
100 million USD in India in a year. The foreign
investment is to enter India through the bank in Wind
and solar projects.
• AIIB approves 500 million USD for MUTP 3
• On November 16, 2019, the bank approved a loan of
500 million USD in three suburban rail infrastructure
projects.
• The projects are being executed under MUTP-Mumbai
Urban Transport Project
• The project curbs trespass deaths by including mid-
section trespasses. It is the first of its kind in the
country.
6. Indo-French collaboration: Largest FDI project of Indian
Railways:
• The Indian Railways and Alstom came together in the
intention of transforming the freight transportation of
India.
• In line with the collaboration, the MELPM-Madhepura
Electric Locomotive Private Limited has been
established.
• MELPM will now manufacture 800 electric
locomotives for freight services with the foreign
investment of 3.5 billion Euros.
7. BHIM UPI goes global: Demonstrated at Singapore
FinTech Festival:
As a first step towards internationalization, a global pilot
demo of BHIM UPI QR-based payments began on 13
November 2019 with a live transaction at merchant
terminal at the Singapore FinTech Festival 2019. The Indian
contingent with participation of 43 companies and start-
ups was one of the largest at Singapore FinTech Festival
2019 being held between 11 and 15 November.
In May 2018 Prime Minister Narendra Modi suggested the
launch of BHIM UPI QR code-based payments
internationally after launching RuPay International card
and SBI’s UPI based remittance app in Singapore, as an
achievement for fintech cooperation between India and
Singapore.
18
8. Central Electricity Authority Data: India’s Electricity
Demand fell to a 12-year low
• According to the data released by the Central
electricity Authority (CEA), the electricity demand of
the country fell by 13% in October 2019 as compared
to October 2018. This is the lowest in 12 years.
• Sharp reduction in the industrialized states like
Maharashtra and Gujarat indicating an economic
slowdown is the major reason for the decline in
demand.
• Electricity demand of the country was 98 billion units
in October 2019 as against 112 billion units in October
2018.
• Power demand in Madhya Pradesh declined by 26%,
Karnataka declined by 25%, Maharashtra declined by
22%, Gujarat by 19%, Telangana by 16% and Andhra
Pradesh by 16%.
9. World’s first CNG port terminal to be built in Gujarat:
• Gujarat government has given its approval to a
Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) terminal facility at
Bhavnagar port. This would be the world’s first CNG
port terminal. The approval for this was given by
Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board headed by
Chief Minister Vijay Rupani.
• World’s first CNG port terminal
• The Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB) had signed
Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UK-based
Foresight Group to set up this port terminal at
Bhavnagar in the Vibrant Gujarat Summit held in
January 2019. The existing port at Bhavnagar is
administered by Gujarat Maritime Board (GMB).
• The terminal will be jointly built by Foresight Group
and Mumbai-based Padmanabh Mafatlal Group. The
consortium of company will invest Rs.1,900 crore out
of which Rs.1,300 crore will be invested in 1st phase
and Rs.600 crore in 2nd phase.
10. Finance Minister: Rs 25,000 crore Fund for stuck Housing
Projects
• On November 7, 2019, Government of India
announced the establishment of Rs 25,000 crore fund
for home buyers whose money is stuck in stalled
projects. According to the Ministry of Finance, there
are over 1600 such projects comprising of 4.58 lakh
housing units across the country. The “Special
Window” will prioritize debt financing in the Affordable
and middle-income housing sector.
• Rs 10,000 crore is to be provided by GoI towards the
fund. Other firms like LIC and SBI along with sovereign
wealth funds and pension funds will contribute Rs
15,000 crore
www.gradeup.co
• The fund is to be set up as Category II Alternate
Investment Fund.
• The fund is to be registered with SEBI as an escrow
account.
11. India withdraws from RCEP
• On November 4, 2019, India decided against joining
Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
trade deal as India did not receive any credible
assurance on market access and non-tariff barriers.
This paved way for the other 15-members to go ahead
and sign the deal keeping the door open for India to
join at later date.
• Reasons of Withdrawal
• Trade Deficit
• India has trade deficit with at least 11 of 15 RCEP
countries. It has doubled in the last five years from 54
billion USD in 2013-14 to 105 billion USD in 2018-19. Of
this China alone accounts to 53 billion USD. Signing the
October
1. SEBI new rule to impact foreign funds – The Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI) notified that only FPIs – Foreign
Portfolio Investors located in FATF countries or managed by an
enterprise based under FATF jurisdiction can deal in
Participatory Notes.
Note:
• HR Khan Committee - The new rule is based on the
HR Khan Committee’s recommendation. HR Khan
Committee was formed by SEBI under chairmanship
of former deputy governor of RBI to streamline FPI.
• Participatory Notes are financial instruments required
by investors to invest in Indian stock markets without
being registered with SEBI.
2. Govt constituted Ajay Bhushan Pandey panel to check money
laundering activities – On 07th October the government set up
a high-level inter-ministerial committee chaired by the Ajay
Bhushan Pandey (Revenue Secretary) for better coordination
among various departments and law enforcement agencies to
prevent money laundering activities.
3. S&P lowered India's growth forecast to 6.3% for 2019-20 -
The S&P Global Ratings lowered India’s growth projection for
2019-20 to 6.3% from 7.1%.
4. CBDT launches Documentation Identification Number – The
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) has launched a computer-
generated Document Identification Number (DIN) to ensure
greater transparency and accountability in tax administration.
• Thus, from now onwards, every CBDT communication
will have to have a documentation identification
number.
19
RCEP will widen trade deficit and will empty foreign
exchange reserve of India at a faster rate.
12. ADB to give $451Mn for Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial
Corridor power links
• The Asian Development Bank will provide a $451
million (appx. Rs.3,200 crore) loan to strengthen
power connectivity between southern and northern
parts of Chennai-Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor
(CKIC) in Tamil Nadu.
• As per ADB, the Manila-headquartered multilateral
agency the total cost of the project is $653.5 million,
of which the government will provide $202.5 million.
13. IIT Delhi launches Global Alumni Endowment Fund
• Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi has formally
launched its Global Alumni Endowment Fund with an
initial commitment of Rs 250.crore from nearly 20
corporate leaders and alumni of institution.
• The Endowment Fund was launched by President Ram
Nath Kovind at Rashtrapati Bhavan on 31 October
2019.
5. Finance Minister launches two IT initiatives ICEDASH and
ATITHI
• The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman
unveiled two new IT Initiatives ‘ICEDASH’ and ‘ATITHI’
for improved monitoring and pace of customs
clearance of imported goods and facilitating arriving
international passengers.
• ICEDASH is an Ease of Doing Business monitoring
dashboard of the Indian Customs helping the public
see the daily Customs clearance times of import cargo
at various ports and airports.
• The ATITHI app will facilitate hassle-free and faster
clearance by Customs at the airports and enhance the
experience of international tourists and other visitors
at the airports.
6. Moody’s cuts India’s GDP growth forecast to 5.8% for FY20
• US Rating agency, Moody has lowered the India GDP
growth forecast for 2019-20 to 5.8% from 6.2%.
• It stated that the Indian economy is experiencing a
pronounced slowdown partly due to long-lasting
factors.
7. IMF cuts World and India growth rates
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has
downgrade the global growth in 2019 to 3%, the
slowest since the global financial crisis.
• India’s growth projections have also been
downgraded to 6.1% and 7.0% in 2019 and 2020
respectively, down by 1.2 percentage points and 0.5
percentage points relative to April projection.
 www.gradeup.co
• The IMF projected the U.S. would grow at 2.4% and
2.1% in 2019 and 2020 respectively. For China, growth
was projected to grow at 6.1% and 5.8% in 2019 and
2020.
8. Reliance MF renamed as “Nippon India Mutual Fund”
• Reliance Mutual Fund has been renamed as “Nippon
India Mutual Fund“.
September
1. Economic Advisory Council to PM reconstituted under Bibek
Debroy – Government of India has reconstituted Economic
Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM) under
existing Chairman Bibek Debroy.
• The reconstitution is for a period of two years, with
effect from 26 September 2019.
Note:
• Bibek Debroy is the Chairman of Economic Advisory
Council to Prime Minister (PMEAC) as of February
2018.
About Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister (EAC-PM
– 6.
• Economic Advisory Council to the Prime Minister
(PMEAC) is a non-constitutional, non-permanent and
independent body constituted to give economic
advice to the Prime Minister.
2. ADB cuts India growth forecast to 6.5% for 2019-20 – The
Asian Development Bank has slashed its growth forecast for
India for fiscal year 2019-20 to 6.5% from 7%.
3. GSTN makes Aadhaar verification mandatory for new dealers
from Jan 2020 – The Goods and Services Tax Network has
decided to make Aadhaar authentication or physical
verification mandatory for new dealers from January 2020.
• The announcement in this regard was made by
Deputy Chief Minister of Bihar Sushil Kumar Modi,
who heads the Group of Ministers of GST Network.
4. NIRVIK scheme: Export Credit Guarantee Corporation of India
(ECGC) has introduced ‘NIRVIK’ scheme to ease the lending
process and enhance loan availability for exporters. 7.
Note:
• Under the new ‘NIRVIK’ scheme, which is also called
the Export Credit Insurance Scheme (ECIS), the
insurance cover guaranteed will cover up to 90
percent of the principal and interest.
• The insurance cover will include both pre and post-
shipment credit. The Export Credit Guarantee
Corporation of India (ECGC) currently provides credit
guarantee of up to 60 percent loss.
5. Centre cuts Corporate Tax Rate for domestic investors –
Corporate Tax Rate has been cut to 22 per cent from 30 per 8.
cent earlier.
20
• The organization was renamed following the purchase
of 75% stake in Reliance Nippon Life Asset
Management by Nippon Life Insurance.
• Nippon India Mutual Fund has become the largest
foreign-owned Asset Management Company in India.
Sundeep Sikka will continue to lead company as the
CEO.
• It is one of the lowest tax rates among the Developed
and Developing economies in South Asian and South-
East Asia Regions for the manufacturing units globally.
Note:
• Corporate Tax Rate after surcharge will now stand at
25.17% for domestic companies (inclusive of all cess
and surcharges).
• New domestic manufacturing companies
incorporated after October 1, 2019, will now be
required to pay income tax at 15%, which stands at
17.01% including the surcharge and cess.
India among top 10 nations in gold reserves – According to
the World Gold Council, India ranked at the 10th positions in
terms of total gold reserves.
• India has surpassed the Netherlands to move into the
list of top ten countries in terms of total gold
reserves.
• India with total gold reserves of 618.2 tonnes is
marginally higher than the Netherlands’ reserves of
612.5 tonnes.
• The U.S. topped the list with total gold reserves of
8,133.5 tonnes followed by Germany with 3,366.8
tonnes.
• The International Monetary Fund (IMF) is ranked third
with a holding of 2,451.8 tonnes.
• The other countries in the list are - Italy (4th), France
(5th), Russia (6th), China (7th), Switzerland (8th) and
Japan (9th) before India at the 10th spot.
TN Manoharan committee recommends for creating a loan
contract registry – The six-member task force headed by
Canara Bank chairman TN Manoharan submitted its report to
Governor of RBI Shaktikanta Das on September 3.
• The Reserve Bank of India constituted the task force.
• It has recommended for creating a loan contract
registry to remove information asymmetries between
buyers and sellers.
• The report also recommends setting up of an online
loan sales platform to conduct auctions/sale process
of secondary market loans.
Modi launches Act Far East Policy for Russia; announces $1 bn
support – Prime Minister Narendra Modi launched 'Act Far
 www.gradeup.co
East' policy and asserted that India will walk shoulder-to-
shoulder with Russia in its development of the Far East.
• Narendra Modi announced a $ one billion line of
credit for the development of the resource-rich
region.
9. ‘Ashok Leyland’s heavy-duty trucks becomes 1st to get BS-VI
certification – Commercial vehicle major Ashok Leyland
announced that its entire range of heavy duty trucks has been
upgraded to meet BS-VI emission norms, which come into
force from 1 April 2020.
10. FM sets up a task force to implement Rs 100 lakh crore
infrastructure projects –
• Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman had announced
the setting up of 6 member task force to implement
Rs 100 lakh crore over the next five years in the
infrastructure projects in the country.
• The task force would be headed by the department of
economic affairs (DEA) secretary and will have the
CEO of a government think tank or his nominee as
one of the members.
11. Ind-Ra cuts GDP growthforecast in FY20 to 6.7% - India
Ratings and Research has revised its projection of the India’s
Banking & Financial Awareness
December
1. ZestMoney joins hands with Xiaomi to launch ‘Mi Credit’
personal loan service in the Indian market
• On December 7, 2019, ZestMoney, an AI (Artificial
Intelligence) -driven EMI(Equated Monthly Instalment)
financing platform based in Bengaluru, Karnataka, has
partnered with Chinese smartphone company, Xiaomi,
to launch new loan service app called “MiCredit” in the
Indian market.
• Through this, customers can get an instant loan ranging
from Rs 7,000 – Rs 1,00,000.
2. Loans worth over Rs10 lakh cr sanctioned under PMMY
• The Union Government has informed that loans worth
over 10 lakh crore rupees have been sanctioned till 1st
November this year under the Pradhan Mantri Mudra
Yojana, PMMY.
• As per the findings of the PMMY survey, around five crore
persons were working in the establishments for which
MUDRA loans were availed between April 2015 to March
2018.
• The survey reveals that these loans enabled beneficiaries
to sustain the economic activities they were engaged in.
3. Exim Bank provided $500 million Line of Credit to
Bangladesh:
21
GDP growth in financial year 2019-20 to 6.7%. It has reduced
the GDP growth rate from 7.3% to 6.7%. It expects GDP growth
to recover to 7.4% in the second half of financial year 2019-20.
12. Growth of eight core sectors slows to 2.1% in July 2019 –
According to official data released by Government, Growth of
eight core industries (Index of Eight Core Industries) dropped
to 2.1% in July 2019. It was mainly due to contraction in coal,
crude oil, natural gas and refinery products.
13. CRISIL revises India’s GDP growth to 6.3% in fiscal 2020 –
Rating agency CRISIL has revised India’s fiscal year 2020 GDP
growth forecast to 6.3%. CRISIL has lowered the GDP growth
forecast from 6.9% to 6.3%. The growth was revised as the
first-quarter growth rate of India reduced to a 25-quarter low
of 5%.
14. Centre to infuse Rs 12,000 crore in state general insurance
firms – Following the recapitalisation of public sector banks
(PSBs), now public sector insurance companies -- National
Insurance, Oriental Insurance and United India Insurance -- are
going to be infused with funds worth Rs 12,000 crore to boost
their capital base and meet regulatory norms, sources said.
• Last year's Budget announced plans to merge these
three insurance companies, and thereafter list the
combined entity.
• Export-Import Bank of India (Exim Bank) has provided
$500 million (Rs 3561 crore) Line of Credit to
Bangladesh for defence-related procurement in the
neighbouring country.
• In this regard the Exim bank has entered into an
agreement with Bangladesh’s Armed Forces Division
(AFD) in April 11, 2019.
• The agreement became effective from November 7,
2019, and the utilisation period of the loan is 10 years
from the date of signing the agreement.
4. IEPFA inks MoU with Bank of Baroda (BoB) for investor
awareness
• The Investor Education & Protection Fund Authority
(IEPFA) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MOU) with Bank of Baroda (BoB) to spread customer
awareness and investor education and reaching out to
investors and stakeholders.
• As per the agreement, 9,456 BoB branches will exhibit
IEPFA posters on investor protection & 3,115 ATMs
(Automated Teller Machine) and Cash Recyclers
supported by self-service channels will feature digital
banners on IEPFA.
 www.gradeup.co
• The IEPFA works under the Ministry of Corporate
Affairs.
5. Mastercard joins hands with Thailand Tourism Authority
(TAT) to tap more tourists from India
• American multinational financial service corporation,
Mastercard on December 5, 2019 has partnered with
Thailand Tourism Authority (TAT) to tap more tourists
from India & enable digital payments for a more
experiential visit for them.
• As per Mastercard data, there is 20% increase in the
amount of spends done by Indians via cashless
transactions in Thailand & TAT witnessed a growth of
nearly 25% in arrivals from India, taking the total to 1.60
million in 2018-19.
• Airports of Mumbai & Delhi account for more than 50 %
of departures to Thailand.
• Bangkok (Thailand’s capital) has ranked No.1 in
Mastercard’s Global Destination Cities Index 2019 as the
world’s best travel destination. Cardholders spent more
than 88% in Bangkok, Pattaya, Phuket and Krabi cities.
6. HDFC ERGO general insurance launches ‘my:health woman
suraksha policy’
• HDFC ERGO General Insurance Company has launched
“my:health Woman Suraksha policy”, a comprehensive
medical insurance scheme specially designed for
women.
• Under this scheme women aged 18–65 years are eligible
for the policy & they offered a sum insured ranging from
Rs. 1 lakh to 1 crore.
• The policy is designed to provide financial support
during medical emergencies and sicknesses in women’s
lives.
November
1. SEBI slaps Rs 40.5 lakh fine on 7 firms for fraudulent trading
• The Security and Exchange Board of India (SEBI)
imposed a total fine of Rs 40.5 lakh on 7 companies for
indulging in fraudulent trading in the illiquid stock
options segment on the BSE.
• The total fine levied on the firms, Rs 10.5 lakh was
levied on Green Venture Securities Management Pvt Ltd
while Morgan Financial Services, Niranjan Housing,
Navrang Tradelinks, Niranjan Metallic, Nishu Leasing
and Finance and Midpoint Tradelink faced a fine of Rs 5
lakh each.
• The reversal trades executed by the Notice were non-
genuine in nature and created an impression of genuine
trading volumes in respective contracts.
2. BlackBuck joins hands with IDFC &Yes Bank to provide free
FASTags to truckers
22
7. KVGB inks MoU with Canara HSBC OBC for bancassurance
• On 2nd December 2019 the Karnataka Vikas Grameen
Bank (KVGB) has entered into an MoU with Canara HSBC
OBC Life Insurance Company Ltd. for bancassurance
business.
• Under the MoU KVGB will market wide range insurance
products of the Canara HSBC through its 636 branches
in 9 districts of Karnataka.
8. World Bank arm IFC to invest $ 200 million in Mahindra finance
• On December 2, 2019, The International Finance
Corporation (IFC) has anchored an investment round of $
200 million in Mahindra & Mahindra Financial Services
Limited (MMFSL) with the objective to create a ‘pool’
specifically for financing micro, small and medium
enterprises (MSMEs) in low income states.
• In a regulatory filing, IFC has invested $ 75 million out of
this in its account. The remaining $ 125 million is being
raised in parallel loans. At the same time, Mahindra
Finance has committed to invest $225 million in this fund.
• The International Finance Corporation (IFC) is a unit of
the World Bank Group.
9. 78% account holders withdraw all their money from PMC
Bank: Nirmala Sitharaman
• As per the Union Finance Minister (FM) Nirmala
Sitharaman, nearly 78% depositors of the scam-hit
Punjab and Maharashtra Co-operative (PMC) Bank have
been allowed to withdraw their entire deposits even
though the ceiling of Rs 50,000 on withdrawal continues.
• Also account holders are allowed to withdraw up to Rs 1
lakh in case of medical emergency, marriage and other
serious situations.
• On November 28, 2019, India’s largest online trucking
platform, BlackBuck has partnered with leading private
sector banks IDFC Bank and Yes Bank to offer FASTags to
truck fleet owners free of cost.
• Under this partnership, truck owners can order FASTags
on Blackbuck’s Boss app.
• It will be given free at their doorstep till 31st December
2019.
3. SBI’s economic research team revised India’s GDP forecast
to 5% for FY 2020:
• The economic research team from the State Bank of
India (SBI) has revised India’s Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) to 5% from its earlier estimate of 6.1% for the
Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20).
• This downgrade was due to global slowdown in the
index of industrial production (IIP).
www.gradeup.co
• The SBI economic research team group has projected
the second quarter (July-September) GDP growth at
4.2% in their report titled “EcoWrap”. It expects the
growth rate to pick up in FY2021 to 6.2%.
4. Karnataka Gramin Bank initiates ‘mobile ATMs’ in rural
areas
• The Karnataka Gramin Bank (KGB) has launched ‘mobile
ATMs’ in Kalaburagi, among several other districts in the
Karnataka.
• The special vehicle includes an ATM and a screen to
show videos of different banking schemes.
• The mobile ATMs will go to the doorsteps of the farmers
and make them aware of the banking schemes and
digital operating systems.
• A bank official would be present in the van, who will
provide information regarding the digital operating
systems and schemes.
5. DHFL becomes 1st financial services firm to be taken to NCLT
• The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has referred Dewan
Housing Finance Corp. Ltd (DHFL) to the National
Company Law Tribunal (NCLT) for insolvency
proceedings, making it the first financial services player
to go NCLT for a possible debt resolution.
• DHFL has a debt of Rrs. 83,873 crore. As per the statutory
inspection of DHFL conducted by the National Housing
Bank, the DHFL showed a serious deterioration in its
finances.
1. Muthoot Finance to acquire IDBI Mutual Fund for Rs 215
crore
• Muthoot Finance Ltd, the largest gold loan non-
banking finance company in the country, entered into
a definitive agreement to acquire IDBI Asset
Management Ltd and IDBI Mutual Fund Trustee
Company Ltd.
• Muthoot Finance will purchase 100 per cent equity
shares of IDBI Asset Management and IDBI MF Trustee
for a total consideration of Rs 215 crore.
• The transaction is expected to be completed by the end
of February 2020. The deal is subject to receipt of
approval from regulators including the Securities and
Exchange Board of India (SEBI).
2. Ujjivan Small Finance Bank launches Instant Digital
Savings and Instant FD Account
• Ujjivan Small Finance Bank (SFB) has launched an
instant digital savings account (SA) along with Fixed
Deposit (FD) and Privilege Savings Account to offer
distinctive banking and digital services to its
customers.
• The Instant Digital SA account has the restriction of Rs
1 lakh deposit & has the unlimited free transactions
on the bank’s own ATM (automated teller machine)
23
and 6 free transactions for other bank ATMs per
month.
• The Instant Fixed Deposit (FD) will fetch interest rate
ranging from 5.5% (7days to 29 days) & up to 8.3%
(799 days), the customers can invest in this account
up to a maximum of Rs. 1 Lakh without a Savings
Account.
• The Privilege SA account comes with the eligibility for
a monthly salary of Rs. 30,000 or above /on
maintaining a Monthly Average Balance of Rs 25,000 /
opening a Fixed Deposit of Rs. 10 Lakh. It provides a
higher accidental insurance cover of Rs. 2 Lakh.
3. Bajaj Allianz General Insurance launches ‘Farmitra’
mobile app for farmers
• Bajaj Allianz General Insurance has launched a new
mobile app called ‘Farmitra’ to help the farmers needs
and address their worries.
• It also resolves with relevant information, which they
can use in optimizing their farming practices.
• The app ‘Farmitra’ provides services for even those
who are not customers of Bajaj Allianz.
4. Karnataka Gramin Bank initiates ‘mobile ATMs’ in rural
areas
• The Karnataka Gramin Bank (KGB) has launched
‘mobile ATMs’ in Kalaburagi, among several other
districts in the Karnataka.
• The special vehicle includes an ATM and a screen to
show videos of different banking schemes.
• The mobile ATMs will go to the doorsteps of the
farmers and make them aware of the banking
schemes and digital operating systems.
• A bank official would be present in the van, who will
provide information regarding the digital operating
systems and schemes.
5. SBI’s economic research team revised India’s FY20 GDP
forecast to 5%
• The economic research team from the State Bank of
India (SBI) has revised India’s Gross Domestic Product
(GDP) to 5% from its earlier estimate of 6.1% for the
Fiscal Year 2020 (FY20).
• This downgrade was due to global slowdown in the
index of industrial production (IIP).
• The SBI economic research team group has projected
the second quarter (July-September) GDP growth at
4.2% in their report titled “EcoWrap”. It expects the
growth rate to pick up in FY2021 to 6.2%.
6. New rules framed under IBC for rescue of non-bank
lenders
• The Government of India has issued fresh rules under
the Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code (IBC) to govern
the rescue of non-bank lenders.
www.gradeup.co
• The new rules are likely to help out distressed shadow
banks and housing financiers, which have been
battling a liquidity crunch for a year.
• These entities will be covered by a special window
under the bankruptcy code, which will be notified
from time to time.
• Reserve Bank of India has been given the authority to
decide which companies will be taken up to a
bankruptcy tribunal under these rules.
• The bankruptcy tribunal will appoint an administrator
who will be nominated by the regulator, will try to
stitch together a turnaround plan. In case a
turnaround of the financial institution is not possible,
the tribunal will gather the views of the regulator
before deciding to liquidate it.
October
1. T.L. Alamelu committee - The Insurance Regulatory and
Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has constituted a 12-
member working group (WG) chaired by T.L. Alamelu to
review the product structure of title insurance, which covers
any loss caused due to a defect in the ‘title’ of the property
arising out of third-party challenges.
2. Axis Bank launches short-term online fixed deposits “Express
FD” – Axis Bank has launched the ‘Express FD’, a digital fixed
deposit (FD) product that allows a customer to open an FD
account in 3 minutes through the digital mode without
opening a savings account with the bank.
• A customer can open an Express FD account by
investing a minimum Rs 5,000 up to Rs 90,000, for a
tenure of 6 to 12 months.
3. SBI becomes first Indian bank to have office in Australia’s
Victoria – The State Bank of India opened its Melbourne office
and becoming the first Indian bank to have a branch in the
Australian state of Victoria.
4. UCO Bank launches UCash, Digilocker and an App – UCO Bank
has launched three new digital products called, UCash,
Digilocker and an app in Kolkata, West Bengal.
5. Grant Thornton to investigate Rs 4,355-crore PMC Bank fraud
– The government has roped in Grant Thornton to carry out
forensic investigations into the fraud hit Punjab and
Maharashtra Cooperative (PMC) Bank.
• Grant Thornton LLP is the sixth largest U.S. accounting
and advisory organization.
Note:
• The PMC Bank scam came into the limelight after a
whistle-blower informed the RBI to look into the books of
the cooperative bank.
• Acting swiftly, the RBI on September 23 placed PMC Bank
under an administrator, suspended the management, and
placed curbs on deposit withdrawals.
• The former Managing Director of the bank, Joy Thomas,
has been arrested by the Economic Offences Wing (EOW).
24
7. Exim Bank grants $30 million line of credit to Ghana
• The Export-Import (Exim) Bank has provided a USD 30
million (about Rs 210 crore) line of credit to Ghana for
a potable water project in the country.
• Under the arrangement, financing of export of eligible
goods, works and services from India would be
allowed subject to their being eligible for export
under the Foreign Trade Policy of India and whose
purchase may be agreed to be financed by the Exim
Bank.
• As per the agreement, the terminal utilisation time is
60 months period after the scheduled completion
date of the project.
• Thomas confessed that the loans granted by the bank
were not classified as non-performing assets (NPAs) in the
bank’s books deliberately so as to avoid RBI scrutiny.
• PMC Bank has given loans of Rs 6,500 crore, which
accounts for 73 per cent of the bank’s loan book of Rs
8,880 crore.
6. SBI Card launches contactless mobile phone payments
facility:
• SBI Card has launched ‘SBI Card Pay’, a feature which
allows contactless payment using mobile phones at
PoS terminals.
• Using SBI Card Pay, customers can make contactless
payments at near field communication (NFC) enabled
point of sale terminals with just one tap of their
mobiles, without using the physical credit card or
entering any PIN.
• SBI Card Pay is a payment feature based on Host Card
Emulation (HCE) technology for faster, convenient and
more secure card payments using mobile phones.
7. India Post launches mobile banking facility for savings
accounts
• The Department of Post announced that it has
launched mobile banking for its savings account
customers.
• The facility will be available all the post office savings
account holders of the CBS (core banking solutions)
post offices.
• The launch of the mobile banking facility comes
almost a year after the Department of Post launched
Internet banking facility for its savings account
holders.
8. ICICI Bank launches new FD scheme “FD health”
• ICICI Bank has launched a fixed deposit scheme called
FD Health, that comes with an in-built critical
insurance policy.
www.gradeup.co
• The FD Health – Critical illness Cover will be provided
to only the primary holder of the FD account. Anyone
in the age bracket of 18-50 years, gets this
complimentary insurance cover for a year on 33
critical illnesses.
• For the first year, free of cost insurance cover will be
provided which can be renewed later.
• The new FD scheme from ICICI bank offers a
complimentary critical illness cover of Rs. 1 lakh from
ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company on
opening an FD of Rs. 2 lakh to Rs. 3 lakh for a tenure
of at least two years.
• The critical illness cover will be available on
Cumulative FDs opened for a period of a minimum of
2 years.
September
1. Airtel Payments Bank launches ‘Bharosa’ savings account –
Airtel Payments Bank launched “Bharosa savings account”
services, designed for deepening the financial inclusion in the
country.
• Bharosa savings account would offer Rs 5 lakh
personal accident insurance on maintaining the
balance of Rs 500 along with one debit transaction
per month.
2. Preventive Vigilance portal: launched by PNB – Punjab
National Bank launched a Preventive Vigilance (PV) portal to
facilitate its staff members to check procedural lapses as well
as promote good practices.
• To promote vigilance awareness in the banking
system, PNB introduced the first of its kind technology
based solutions through Preventive Vigilance portal.
3. SBI launches mobile app YONO in the UK – State Bank of India
(SBI) has launched its digital banking app YONO in the UK,
marking its global launch.
• The app is unveiled by SBI Chairman Rajnish Kumar in
coordination with the UK India Business Council
(UKIBC) in London on 23rd September.
Note:
• In 2017, SBI launched the ‘YONO’ (You Only Need
One) app in India.
• It is an integrated digital banking platform to enable
users to access a variety of financial and other
services such as taxi bookings, online shopping, or
medical bill payments.
4. EPFO to credit 8.65% interest in over 6 crore accounts –
Employees' Provident Fund Organisation (EPFO) to pay 8.65%
interest on the deposits of more than 6 crore subscribers for
the period of 2018-19.
Banking & Financial terms
25
9. UCO Bank launches UCash, Digilocker and an App
• UCO Bank has launched three new digital products
called, UCash, Digilocker and an app in Kolkata, West
Bengal. A new current account facility has also been
launched by the bank.
• UCash enables customers to withdraw money from
ATMs through mobile banking without using a debit
card.
• Digilocker aims to eliminate the use of physical
documents and enables sharing of verified electronic
documents.
• The third product, the new mobile app, integrates
four existing apps of the bank – UCO Mbanking, UCO
UPI, UCO Mpassbook and UCO Secure- in a single
interface.
5. IDBI Bank introduces repo-linked home and auto loans –
• IDBI Bank will introduce two Repo Linked Products –
Suvidha Plus Home Loan and Suvidha Plus Auto Loan
from September 10.
• The new Home Loan and Auto Loan products will be
offered to new customers having good credit score
and minimum income of Rs. 6 lakh per annum.
• The Suvidha Plus Home Loan will be offered for up to
Rs. 75 Lakh with a tenor of up to 35 years. The
Suvidha Plus Auto loan will be offered for up to Rs. 25
lakh covering the on-road price with a tenor of up to 7
years.
6. ECL Finance and Central bank of India ink pact to co-lend to
MSMEs – ECL Finance Ltd, a subsidiary of Edelweiss Financial
Services, and Central Bank of India have signed an agreement
for priority sector lending to Micro, Small and Medium
Enterprise (MSME’s) customers.
7. Cabinet approves Rs 4,557 crore capital infusion into IDBI
Bank – The Cabinet has approved a capital infusion of Rs 4,557
crore into IDBI Bank.
• The capital infusion process will be done through
recapitalisation bonds under which the government
will infuse the capital into the bank and the bank will
buy the recapitalisation bonds from the government
on the same day.
8. Standard Chartered Bank launches “DigiSmart” credit card –
Standard Chartered Bank, a British multinational banking and
financial services company has launched a DigiSmart credit
card.
• The primary focus of the Bank on the ever-growing
segment of millennials.
 www.gradeup.co
1. AEPS – Aadhar Enabled Payment System
2. APBS – Aadhar Payment Bridge System
3. ATM – Automated Teller Machine
4. ALM - Asset Liability Management
5. AIIB - Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank
6. AMFI - Association of Mutual Funds in India
7. BIS - Bureau of Indian Standards
8. BBPS – Bharat Bill Payment System
9. BCA -Baseline Credit Assessment
10. BHIM - Bharat Interface for Money
11. BLRA: Bank Led Resolution Approach
12. CBL - Chest Balance Limit
13. CMFRI - Central Marine Fisheries Research Institute
14. CBS – Core Banking System
15. CIDR - Central Identities Data Repository
16. CTS – Cheque Truncation System
17. CDR - Corporate Debt Restructuring
18. CASA – Current Account Saving Account
19. CAD – Capital Account Deficit
20. CRA - Counterparty Risk Assessment
21. CRR – Cash Reserve Ratio
22. ECS – Electronic Clearing Service
23. DNS - Domain Name System
24. DEAF - Depositor Education and Awareness Fund
25. EFTPOS - Electronic funds transfer at point of sale
26. EFT – Electronic Fund Transfer.
27. FRBM - Fiscal Responsibility and Budget Management
28. LGD - Loss Given Default
29. LTV- Loan To Value
30. LRS - Liberalized Remittance Scheme
31. LCR - Liquidity Coverage Ratio
32. GNFV - Gross Negative Fair Value
33. SFTs: Securities financing transactions
34. HCE - Host Card Emulation
35. PFE - Potential Future Exposure
36. IIP - Index of Industrial Production
37. IBBI - Insolvency and Bankruptcy Board of India
38. IFC - International Finance Corporation
39. IDRBT - Institute for Development and Research in Banking
Technology
40. Ind As - Indian Accounting Standards
41. ICAAP - Internal Capital Adequacy Assessment Process
42. IFSC - Indian Financial System Code
43. IMPS - Immediate Payment Service
44. IMPS - Interbank Mobile Payment Service
45. MMID - Mobile Money Identifier
46. MPIN - Mobile Personal Identification Number
47. NPA – Non- Performing Assets
48. NSFR - Net Stable Funding Ratio
49. NPCI - National Payment Corporation of India
50. NFS – National Financial Switch
51. NSFR - Net Stable Funding Ratio
52. NACH – National Automated Clearing House
53. NEFT – National Electronic Fund Transfer
54. NFC - Near field communication
55. NDTL – Net Demand and Time Liabilities.
26
56. NASSCOM - National Association of Software and Services
Companies
57. NIIF - National Investment and Infrastructure Fund
58. OTC – Over the Counter
59. PIN – Personal Identification Number
60. PAC - Personal Access Code
61. PCA - Prompt Corrective Action
62. PCR – Public Credit Registry
63. PCR - Provisioning Coverage Ratio
64. PSPs - Payment Support Providers
65. TC-CCP - Third-Country Central Counterparty
66. TRR - Temporary Recognition Regime
67. TReDS - Trade Receivables Discounting System
68. RTGS – Real Time Gross Settlement
69. USSD - Unstructured Supplementary Services Data
70. UIDAI - Unique Identification Authority of India
71. VPA - Virtual Payment Address.
72. WMA - Ways and Means Advances
73. TIEA - Tax Information and Exchange Agreement
74. NRETP - National Rural Economic Transformation Project
75. IBC - Insolvency and Bankruptcy Code
76. GSP - Generalised System of Preferences
77. IFFCO - Indian Farmers Fertilizer Co-operative
78. PMJAY - Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
79. NBFC - Non-banking finance companies
80. SWIFT - Society for Worldwide Interbank Financial
Telecommunications
81. NHB – National Housing Bank
82. NGT - National Green Tribunal
83. DSIB – Domestically Systematically Important Bank
84. RWAs - Risk Weighted Assets
85. TCs - Trade credits
86. CSO - Central Statistics Office
87. ASSOCHAM - Associated Chambers of Commerce and Industry
of India
88. WPI - Wholesale Price Index
89. FTA - Free Trade Agreement
90. NHB - National Housing Bank
91. YONO - You only need one
92. ARC - Asset Reconstruction Company
93. D-SIBs - Domestic Systemically Important Banks
94. MFIs - Micro Finance Institutions
95. FPIs - Foreign portfolio investors
96. FVCIs - Foreign venture capital investors
97. PPF - Public Provident Fund
98. NSC - National Savings Certificate
99. CbC - Country-by-Country
100.WEF - World Economic Forum
101.MPI - Multidimensional Poverty Index
102.UNDP - United Nations Development Programme
103.UPI - Unified Payments Interface
104.NPCI - National Payments Corporation of India
105.CII - Confederation of Indian Industry
 www.gradeup.co
106.NBCC - National Buildings Construction Corporation
107.NSSO - National Sample Survey Office
108.EMV - Europay, MasterCard, Visa.
109.FATF - Financial Action Task Force
Important Committees
1. Tapan Ray committee – The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has
set up a working group to review the regulatory and
supervisory framework for core investment companies (CICs).
2. Ramesh Chand (Member, NITI Aayog) committee – Central
Government has constituted Working Group for the revision of
the current series of Wholesale Price Index (Base 2011-12).
3. Devendra Fadnavis (CM of Maharashtra) - PM Narendra Modi
has constituted a high-powered Committee of Chief Ministers
(CMs) for ‘Transformation of Indian Agriculture’.
1. Aruna Sundararajan Committee - – Union Telecom Minister
Ravi Shankar Prasad had constituted a committee chaired by
Telecom Secretary Aruna Sundararajan to spell out revival
plans for Telecom sector.
4. P K Sinha (Cabinet Secretary) panel - Central Government has
formed a committee for coordination among the Ministry of
Petroleum and Natural Gas (MoPNG), the Ministry of
Environment and Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the
state governments after a tug of war between the two
ministries. The panel formation will help in speeding up
hydrocarbon exploration-related clearances.
5. Nandan Nilekani committee – To encourage digital payments,
the committee has suggested a host of measures, including
elimination of charges, round-the-clock RTGS and NEFT facility,
and duty-free import of point-of-sales machines.
6. V G Kannan committee - The Reserve Bank of India constituted
a six-member committee to review the ATM interchange fee
structure with a “view to increase the ATM deployment in the
unbanked areas”.
• The committee will be led by V G Kannan, Chief
Executive, Indian Banks Association.
7. Anil Kakodkar & Sidharth Pradhan committee - to discuss
research-related synergies and tax issues for state-run oil
companies. The committee has recommended strategies to
reduce import dependency.
8. TN Manoharan committee (Chairman Canara Bank)- on the
Development of Secondary Market for Corporate Loans to
come up with recommendations to increase the efficiencies of
the debt market and aid in the resolution of stressed assets.
9. Kasturirangan committee - Former ISRO chief Dr.
Kasturirangan led Committee submitted the draft National
Educational Policy (NEP) to HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal
Nishank in New Delhi.
10. Amitabh Kant (Niti Aayog CEO) committee - National Mission
on Transformative Mobility and Battery Storage, which is being
set up to promote clean and sustainable mobility initiatives in
the country.
27
11. Suresh Mathur committee – to review the regulatory
framework on microinsurance and recommend measures to
increase the demand for such products.
12. Bimal Jalan Panel - to suggest how the central bank should
handle its reserves and whether it can transfer its surplus to
the government.
13. Anoop Satpathy Committee - Recommends Rs 9,750 Monthly
National Minimum Wage
Note:
• submitted its report on “Determining the
Methodology for Fixation of the National Minimum
Wage” to the Government.
• It recommended the fixation of need-based National
Minimum Wage (NMW) for India at Rs 375 per day or
Rs 9,750 per month irrespective of sectors, skills,
occupations and rural-urban locations for a family
comprising of 3.6 consumption units.
• The Present NMW is Rs. 4,576.
14. Sanjeev Sharma (income tax commissioner) Committee - to
look into the matter of taxation related pain points and submit
its final report and recommendations by mid-March.
15. CPWD Constitutes 8-member Committee to Chart Out Design
Policy - The Central Works Public Department (CPWD) has
constituted an expert committee to formulate a design policy
for building construction and infrastructure development.
• The committee has been set up under the
chairmanship of CPWD’s Additional Director General
M K Sharma.
16. Environment Ministry Constitutes Committee to Implement
National Clean Air Programme - The Union Environment
Ministry has constituted a committee to implement the
National Clean Air Programme (NCAP), which aims to reduce
particulate matter (PM) pollution by 20%-30% in at least 102
cities by 2024.
• The committee will be chaired by the Secretary, Union
Environment Ministry. It would be headquartered in
New Delhi.
17. B V R Mohan Reddy committee - not to allow setting up of
new Engineering colleges from 2020.
Note:
• The Panel headed by IIT-Hyderabad chairman B V R
Mohan Reddy has suggested All India Council for
Technical Education (AICTE) not to allow setting up of
new Engineering colleges from 2020.
18. Nandan Nilekani committee - to boost digital payments and
enhance financial inclusion.
 www.gradeup.co
19. U.K. Sinha committee - to suggest long-term solutions for the
economic and financial sustainability of the MSME sector.
20. Committee headed by NITI Aayog member (health) - The
Union government has constituted a high-power committee
headed by NITI Aayog member (health) to monitor the pricing
of medicines and healthcare products.
21. Praveen Kutumbe committee - Insurance Regulatory
Development Authority of India (IRDAI) has set up a panel
headed by Praveen Kutumbe, to identify domestically
systematically important insurers (SIIs) and an augmented
regulatory framework is logically established in this regard.
22. Akhilesh Ranjan Committee – for drafting New Direct Tax
Legislation (Law)
Agreement & Deals
December
1. Dell Technologies tie up with UNESCO to boost quality of
education:
• Dell Technologies has partnered with UNESCO Mahatma
Gandhi Institute of Education for Peace (MGIEP) to enable
school teachers to adopt technology in classrooms by using
ICT tools.
• The information and communication technology (ICT) tools
have been developed by Dell Aarambh and FramerSpace
platform.
• The partnership would enable achieving the UN Sustainable
Goal 4.7 towards education for building peaceful and
sustainable societies and also UNESCO MGIEP in its mission
of building social and emotional learning, innovative digital
pedagogies and empowering youth.
2. MoU signed Between NSIC & ARAMCO Asia for development
in Oil & Gas Sectors
• A memorandum of understanding (MoU) has been signed
between National Small Industries Corporation (NSIC) and
Suadi Aramco (Asia) for the development of Micro, Small
and Medium Enterprises (MSME) Ecosystem in India in Oil
& Gas Sector.
• The MoU will pave a way for accredited Indian MSMEs to
carve out space as vendors in Global space.
3. NTPC signed Agreement with SBI for Rs. 5,000 crores:
• National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) has
signed a term loan agreement of Rs. 5,000 crores with State
Bank of India (SBI).
• The loan facility has been extended at an interest rate
linked to 3 Months MCLR of the bank and has a door to door
tenure of 15 years. The loan will be utilised to part finance
the capital expenditure of NTPC.
4. IEPFA signs MoU with Bank of Baroda (BOB) for Investor
Awareness
28
23. Dr. Bibek Debroy (The Economic Advisory Council to the
Prime Minister) Committee - to assess key challenges and
suggest reforms in logistics development and associated
commerce.
24. Rajiv Kumar (NITI Aayog Vice Chairman) Committee – to look
at selling of 149 small and marginal oil and gas fields of state-
owned the Oil and Natural Gas Corporatio (ONGC) and Oil
India Limited (OIL) to private and foreign companies to boost
domestic output.
• Investor Education & Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA) has
signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Bank
of Baroda (BoB) to spread customer awareness and
investor education and reaching out to investors and
stakeholders.
• As per the agreement, 9,456 BoB branches will exhibit
IEPFA posters on investor protection & 3,115 ATMs
(Automated Teller Machine) and Cash Recyclers supported
by self-service channels will feature digital banners on
IEPFA.
• Investor Education & Protection Fund Authority (IEPFA
works under the Ministry of Corporate Affairs,
5. India-Bangladesh ties transcend strategic partnership
• The ties between India and Bangladesh for transcend
strategic partnership. The multidimensional relationship
between the two countries covers not only traditional areas
like trade, commerce, security and border management but
also new areas such as IT, space and nuclear science among
others.
• India is a committed development partner of Bangladesh
with a credit line worth 8 billion US dollars of which 80% is
earmarked for infrastructure and connectivity sector.
6. BlackBuck partners with IDFC Bank, Yes Bank to offer free
FASTags to truck Owners:
• The Online trucking platform BlackBuck has partnered with
private lenders IDFC Bank and Yes Bank to provide FASTags
to truck owners free of cost.
• Truck owners can order FASTags on BlackBuck’s Boss App,
a digital services platform exclusively for truck fleet owners,
and it will be delivered at their doorstep free of cost until
December 31, 2019.
• The initiative is expected to help over 3 million trucks in
India become FASTag compliant.
 www.gradeup.co
7. CPPIB to invest $600 million in National Investment and
Infrastructure Fund:
• The National Investment and Infrastructure Fund (NIIF) of
India and Canada Pension Plan Investment Board (CPPIB)
have agreed for CPPIB to invest up to $600 million through
the NIIF Master Fund.
• The agreement includes a commitment of $150 million in
the NIIF Master Fund and co-investment rights of up to
$450 million in future opportunities to invest alongside the
NIIF Master Fund.
• The NIIF Master Fund invests equity capital in core
infrastructure sectors in India, with a focus on
transportation, energy and urban infrastructure.
8. Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank signs MoU for
bancassurance:
• Karnataka Vikas Grameena Bank (KVGB) and Canara, HSBC,
Oriental Bank of Commerce, Life Insurance Company Ltd.
signed an MoU for bancassurance (for selling life insurance
products through the branches of KVGB).
• As per the pact, KVGB will market wide range insurance
products of the Canara HSBC through its 636 branches in 9
districts of Karnataka.
9. ZestMoney partnered with Xiaomi to launch ‘Mi Credit’
personal loan service in India:
• Bengaluru based EMI financing platform, ZestMoney has
partnered with Chinese smartphone company, Xiaomi, to
November
1. ADB, India sign $451 million loan to strengthen Power
Connectivity in Tamil Nadu
• Government of India and Asian Development Bank (ADB)
has signed a $451 million loan for strengthening power
connectivity between northern and southern parts of
Chennai–Kanyakumari Industrial Corridor (CKIC) which is
part of East Coast Economic Corridor (ECEC).
• ECEC is India’s first coastal economic corridor.
• It will help establish extra-high-voltage transmission link
between Coimbatore and Virudhunagar. It will meet
increased power demand in CKIC by transfering additional
generation capacity of 9,000 megawatt (MW), including
6,000 MW from renewables by 2025. This will help reliably
evacuate power from these new power plants in southern
CKIC.
2. SBI & U-GRO signed loan co-origination agreement
• U-GRO Capital has signed an SME loan co-origination
agreement with State Bank of India to facilitate broader
credit outreach and faster disbursal.
29
launch new loan service app called “MiCredit” in the Indian
market.
• Through this app customers can get an instant loan ranging
from Rs 7,000 – Rs 1,00,000.
• Application process for loans can be completed within 5
minutes, and the repayment can be done over a period
from 3 months – 3 years in easy EMIs.
10. National Museum of Indian Cinema signs MoU with Films
Division and BookMyShow:
• Films Division of India and BookMyShow (BMS) signed a
memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for online ticketing
of National Museum of Indian Cinema (NMIC) in New Delhi.
• With this MoU, booking a ticket to visit NMIC will be a click
away as it will now be available on BookMyShow, thus
benefiting film lovers in India and abroad.
• The MoU has been part of Museum outreach initiatives
aimed at increasing footfalls to NMIC.
11. Walmart India ties-up with HDFC to launch co-branded
credit card for Best price stores
• In a first, Walmart India has partnered with HDFC Bank to
launch a co-branded credit card.
• The new co-branded credit card is available exclusively for
members of Best Price Modern Wholesale B2B (business to
business) cash & carry Stores, owned and operated by
Walmart India .
• In this, the facility of free credit will be available for up to
50 days without any interest.
• The alliance to leverage U GRO Capital’s proprietary
technology platform ‘GRO-Xstream’ to provide in-principle
loan approval within 60 minutes.
• U GRO Capital, a BSE listed, technology-enabled small
business lending platform entered into a loan co-
origination.
3. India-Uzbekistan sign pact on counter-terror cooperation
• India and Uzbekistan have signed a pact for further
strengthening of cooperation in the fields of counter-
terrorism and organised crime.
• The agreement was signed by Union Home Minister Amit
Shah and his Uzbekistan counterpart Pulat Bobojonov here
to further increase cooperation between India and
Uzbekistan in diverse fields including counter-terrorism,
organized crime and human trafficking.
• The two sides discussed issues of mutual interest including
bilateral counter-terrorism cooperation, capacity building
and training for Uzbek security personnel in Indian
institutions, border guarding and disaster management.
www.gradeup.co
October
1. NHA and Google tie up for Ayushman Bharat Implementation
– The National Health Authority (NHA) has joined hands with
international giant Google to collaborate as well as strengthen
the implementation of government’s flagship health insurance
scheme, Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana
(PM-JAY).
2. Sports Ministry inks MoU with NBCC to develop National
Sports University at Imphal – State-owned construction firm
NBCC (India) has signed a Memorandum of Understanding
(MoU) with Department of Sports under Union Ministry of
Youth Affairs & Sports (MYAS) to provide Project Management
Consultancy for development of National Sports University at
Imphal, Manipur. The approximate cost of project would be
Rs.400 crore.
3. Indian & Bangladesh signed 7 agreements – The seven pacts
and three projects that were signed and finalised during the
visit of Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh to India.
The key agreements signed between India & Bangladesh –
• Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) on the use of
Chattogram and Mongla Ports for Movement of goods
to and from India
• withdrawal of 1.82 cusec of water from Feni river by
India for drinking water supply, scheme for Sabroom
town, Tripura, India
• MoU on providing Coastal Surveillance System - Delhi
to set up a coastal surveillance system radar in
Bangladesh
• Inauguration of BIPSDI – Bangladesh – India
Professional Skill Development Institute
• Inauguration of Vivekananda Bhaban, students hostel
at Ramakrishna mission in Dhaka.
4. Bank of Baroda signs MoU with Indian Army for customised
services – Bank of Baroda (BoB) has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with the Indian Army under which the
bank would offer customised services along with a host of
facilities to account holders.
• The MoU includes handsome free personal accident
insurance cover, free air accident insurance cover of
Rs 15 lakh to Rs 50 lakh and an overdraft facility up to
three times of monthly net salary.
5. Siemens signs MoUs with NTPC, TERI on decarbonisation,
energy transition
• German multinational conglomerate company,
Siemens Limited has signed a Memorandum of
Understanding (MoU) with NTPC Limited to identify,
evaluate and set up reference use cases of hydrogen
sector-coupling for various upstream and downstream
applications.
30
• The collaboration is aimed at developing innovative
technologies, solutions and techniques to reduce the
dependence on Hydrocarbons in India.
• Siemens has also inked a separate MoU with TERI for
collaboration on technologies to support the energy
transition in India including sector-coupling.
6. GeM signs MoU with Indian Bank and Canara Bank for
payment related service
• Government e-Marketplace (GeM) has signed MoU
with Indian Bank and Canara Bank.
• The MoU will facilitate a cashless, paperless and
transparent payment system on the portal and would
create an efficient procurement system for
government entities.
• Through this partnership, both the banks will be able
to offer an array of services including transfer of funds
through GeM Pool Accounts (GPA), advising of
Performance Bank Guarantees (e-PBG), Earnest Money
Deposit (EMD) and Payment Gateway to the registered
users on the portal.
7. IOB launches health care plus insurance policy
• Indian Overseas Bank (IOB) in association with
Universal Sompo General Insurance Co Ltd. has
launched upgraded health care plus insurance policy.
• It is a co-branded insurance scheme exclusively
designed for IOB customers with a sum insured
starting from ₹50,000 and going up to ₹15 lakh.
• The policy issuance will be made on a real-time basis
at the IOB branches to its customers. Self, spouse,
dependent children, dependent parents can be
covered under the policy.
8. USD 165 mn loan agreement for Odisha’s Integrated
Irrigation Project
• The Government of India, Government of Odisha and
the World Bank have signed a USD 165 million loan
agreement.
• The agreement is signed for Odisha’s Integrated
Irrigation Project for Climate Resilient Agriculture.
• The project will be implemented in rural areas
vulnerable to droughts and largely dependent on
rainfed agriculture.
• The $165 million loan from the International Bank for
Reconstruction and Development (Member of World
Bank Group), has a 6-year grace period, and a
maturity of 24 years.
9. GeM and Federal Bank sign MoU for payment related
services
• The Government e-Marketplace (GeM) signed a
memorandum of understanding (MoU) with Federal
Bank to offer a number of services including transfer
www.gradeup.co
of funds through GeM Pool Accounts (GPA), advising
of Performance Bank Guarantees (e-PBG) and Earnest
Money Deposit (EMD) to the registered users on the
portal.
• The MoU will facilitate a cashless, paperless and
transparent payment system on the portal and would
create an efficient procurement system for
government entities.
10. Grasim partenered with German’s MR to produce
insulators
• Grasim Industries Limited has signed a definitive
agreement to form a joint venture company in India
with Maschinenfabrik Reinhausen GmbH (MR) of
Germany.
• The joint venture is for the manufacturing and sale of
Composite Hollow Core Insulators to serve the power
transmission and distribution (T&D) industry globally.
• This joint venture will bring together Aditya Birla
Insulators (a unit of Grasim) and Reinhausen Power
Composites (a unit of MR).
• ABPCL will build a fully integrated CHCI plant at Halol,
bringing the latest technology for Composite Hollow
Insulators from Europe.
• It will serve the insulator requirements of Indian and
global OEMs in the power equipment industry.
11. AYUSH, Defence ministries ink MoU to provide
traditional medicine services:
• The AYUSH ministry has signed an MoU with the
Defence Ministry to provide traditional medicine
services at the armed forces’ hospitals and
dispensaries.
• Minister of State for AYUSH Shripad Naik inaugurated
an Ayurveda Palliative Care Unit at the Base Hospital
in the Delhi Cantonment.
• Under the MoU, Ayurveda units will also be
established at palliative care centres at the Army
Research and Referral Hospital, Air Force Hospital,
Hindon in Ghaziabad and five identified ex-
servicemen Contributory Health Scheme (ECHS)
polyclinics in Delhi–NCR.
12. Home Credit India join hand with Karur Vysya Bank for
joint lending:
• Home Credit India (HCIN), a local arm of the
international consumer finance provider, has tied-up
with Karur Vysya Bank (KVB) for joint lending using
end-to-end automated processing which will help the
customer get real-time approval and disbursement.
• Under the agreement, HCIN and KVB will disburse
loans in a single amount to customers. With this
partnership and by leveraging the lower cost of funds
of KVB, Home Credit India will be able to reach out to
a new segment of customer. Home Credit India has
31
operations spread over 179 cities across 20 States in
India.
13. Mastercard and MS Dhoni partner to build ‘Team
Cashless India’:
• Mastercard, along with cricketer Mahendra Singh
Dhoni, launched a nationwide initiative ‘Team
Cashless India’ to accelerate the acceptance and
adoption of digital payments.
• The initiative ‘Team Cashless India’ brings consumers
and merchants to the forefront of the digital
payments dialogue.
• The campaign encourages all Indians to nominate
one or more merchants who currently do not accept
digital payments.
• Mastercard will work together with Confederation of
All India Traders (CAIT), acquirer banks and fintech
companies to support nominated merchants to
deploy digital payments acceptance infrastructure.
14. ADB & India signs $190 million loan for projects in
Rajasthan:
• The Asian Development Bank and the Government of
India has signed a $190 Million loan. The amount will
be used to upgrade 754 km of state highways and
major district roads (MDRs) to benefit about 26
million people in 14 districts of Rajasthan. For the
benefit of commuters and pedestrians, particularly
women and children, the project provides for
constructing more than 200 bus stops, 70 km of hard
shoulder, and 2 km of raised sidewalk on project
roads.
15. GeM signs MOU with Union Bank of India
• Government e-Marketplace signed an MoU with
Union Bank of India. As per the MoU, UBI will be able
to offer an array of services including transfer of funds
through GeM Pool Accounts, advising of Performance
Bank Guarantees and Earnest Money Deposit to the
registered users on the GeM portal.
• The MoU will facilitate a cashless, paperless and
transparent payment system on the portal and will
create an efficient procurement system for
government entities.
16. NHA ties with Google to strengthen the implementation
of PMJAY
• National Health Authority signed a Statement of Intent
(SoI) with Google to collaborate and strengthen the
implementation of Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri
Jan Arogya Yojana (PMJAY).
• The two organizations will now work together to
increase process efficiencies in day-to-day
applications. Google will support NHA in improving
www.gradeup.co
digital presence of PMJAY and showcasing relevant
content to the 50 crore entitled beneficiaries.
• Google will also help provide training and support to
NHA personnel to build on digital skills. NHA is the
September
1. DRDO and CUJ sign MoU to set up Kalam Centre for Science
and Technology – Defence Research & Development
Organisation (DRDO), Ministry of Defence and Central
University of Jammu (CUJ) have entered into a Memorandum
of Understanding (MoU) for the establishment of Kalam Centre
for Science and Technology (KCST) at the university.
2. India, ADB sign $200-million loan agreement for upgrading
rural roads in Maharashtra
• India and Asian Development Bank (ADB) signed 200-
million dollar loan agreement for upgrading rural
roads in 34 districts of Maharashtra with the objective
of improving road safety and better connecting rural
areas with markets and services.
3. Facebook bags digital content rights for ICC matches in South
Asia – The International Cricket Council has inked an
agreement with Facebook, under which the social media
platform will get exclusive digital content rights for select
cricket matches in the Indian subcontinent including the
Women’s T20 World Cup 2020-22, Men’s T20 World Cup 2020-
21 and the Men’s Cricket World Cup 2023.
4. DSCI, MeitY and Google India join hands for ‘Digital Payment
Abhiyan – Nasscom’s Data Security Council of India (DSCI)
collaborated with the electronics and IT ministry (MeitY) and
Google India to launch a nationwide awareness campaign
‘Digital Payment Abhiyan’.
5. ISRO, DRDO sign MoUs to provide technologies for Human
Space Mission – The Indian Space Research Organisation
(ISRO) joined hands with Defence Research and Development
Organisation (DRDO) for the development of human-centric
systems for the Human Space Mission to demonstrate its
human space flight capabilities.
6. Skill India sign agreement with IBM for Train-the-Trainer
programme in AI – The Directorate General of Training (DGT),
under the skill development and entrepreneurship ministry,
has signed an agreement with IT major IBM to carry out a
nationwide Train-the-Trainer programme in basic artificial
intelligence.
7. Niti Aayog, McKinsey to launch First Digital Capability Centre
– National Institution for Transforming India (Niti Aayog) has
selected McKinsey & Company to set up India’s first Digital
Capability Centre (DCC).
8. Gurugram Police ties up with tech giant Google – The
Gurugram traffic police have tied up with Google maps for real
time traffic updates.
32
nodal agency for implementing Ayushman Bharat-
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana.
9. World Bank to sanction Rs 3,000 crore for food parks – The
World Bank will provide Rs 3,000 crore assistance to finance
mini and mega food parks across India.
• The announcement was made by Union Minister of
State for Food Processing Industries during the 15th
Indo-US Economic Summit held in New Delhi.
10. Gujarat Govt, Delaware State of America sign MoU for sister
state – Gujarat Government and the Delaware State of
America signed Memorandum of Understanding(MoU) for
sister state. This is the first sister-state MoU signed by Gujarat
with any state of America.
11. ESIC Signs an Agreement with SBI – Employees’ State
Insurance Corporation(ESIC) signed Memorandum of
Agreement (MoA) with State Bank of India for direct transfer
of benefits electronically into bank accounts of all
stakeholders.
12. IIT-Kharagpur and Amazon Web Services join hands to
develop AI portal – IIT Kharagpur has collaborated with
Amazon Web Services (AWS) to develop a National Artificial
Intelligence resource platform (NAIRP) to promote learning
and development in artificial intelligence (AI).
13. UNESCO & Rajasthan partners to promote the state’s
intangible cultural heritage – UNESCO and Rajasthan
government partners to promote music, art and craft forms,
and other intangible cultural heritage of the state to spur
socio-economic growth of several artist communities.
• It is a partnership agreement to promote community-
based responsible tourism based on the rich
intangible cultural heritage of Rajasthan.
• The project will be implemented in Jodhpur, Barmer,
Jaisalmer and Bikaner districts.
Note:
• The United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the
United Nations based in Paris, France.
14. Microsoft & CBSE partners to build AI learning for schools –
Microsoft India and the Central Board of Secondary Education
have partnered to build AI learning for schools.
• They will conduct capacity building programmes for
high school teachers with an aim to integrate cloud-
powered technology in K12 teaching.
15. Wipro bags $300-million deal from ICICI Bank – Wipro Limited
has bagged a strategic contract valued at $300 million from the
ICICI Bank.
 www.gradeup.co
• Under the contract, Wipro will offer a comprehensive
suite of services to ICICI Bank for the next seven years,
starting September 2019.
16. Bangladesh partners with Reliance Power for gas-based
power plant – The Bangladesh government has signed an
agreement with Reliance Power of India. As per the
agreement, they will set up a 750 MW gas based power plant
in Meghnahat near Dhaka.
• The construction of the plant will be completed by
2022.
• Reliance Power has also signed an MoU with Petro
Bangla to set up 500 mmscfd (Million standard cubic
feet per day) LNG terminal at Kutubdia Island near
Chittagong in Bangladesh.
Reports/Survey
December
1. UNDP Human Development Index (HDI) 2019:
• The United Nations Development Programme released
the Human Development Index for 189 countries on
December 9, 2019.
• India was ranked 129 out of 189 countries on the 2019
Human Development Index (HDI) improving from the
130th position in 2018.
• HDI is part of the Human Development Report that is
published by the United Nations Development
Programme (UNDP).
• HDI emphasizes that people and their capabilities should
be the ultimate criteria for assessing the development of
a country, not economic growth alone.
• Norway, Switzerland, Ireland occupied the top three
positions in that order in the Human Development Index
2019.
2. India among top 10 countries with higher climate
performance
• The 2019 Climate Change Performance Index (CCPI) has
been presented at the ongoing COP25 climate summit in
Madrid, Spain.
• For the first time, India has emerged among the top 10
countries with higher climate performance.
• India has been ranked at 9th spot in the index for its
Climate Policy performance among 57 countries and the
European Union.
• However, the first three places of the ranking remain
unoccupied, Sweden (4th) and Denmark (5th).
3. SIPRI Report: Arms sales increased by 5% in 2018
• As per the report published by the ‘Stockholm
International Peace Research Institute (SIPRI)’, arms
sales rose by 5% throughout the world in 2018.
33
17. MeitY and Google signed a SoI to roll out “Build for Digital
India” – Google and the Ministry of Electronics and
Information Technology have signed a statement of intent to
roll-out ‘Build for Digital India‘.
• It is a programme which will provide engineering
students a platform to develop market-ready,
technology-based solutions that address key social
problems.
• Under this program, the applicants will participate in
online and offline learning opportunities on key
technologies like machine learning, cloud and
android.
• The report said that the turnover of 100 biggest arms
manufacturers came to 420 billion USD.
• Amongst arms manufacturers, US manufacturers
accounted for 59% of global weapon market.
• Next to the US, Russia ranked second in arms production
contributing 8.6% of the weapon market.
• UK and France ranked third and fourth contributing 8.4%
and 5.5% respectively.
4. Global Climate Risk Index 2020
• The international environmental think tank
‘Germanwatch’ has recently released the Global Climate
Risk Index 2019.
• The index analyses the extent to which countries and
regions have been affected by the impacts of weather-
related loss events (storms, floods, heat waves etc.)
• As per the report Japan to be the most vulnerable
country to climate change, followed by Philippines,
Germany, Madagascar and India.
• Globally India is the 5th most vulnerable country to
climate change. India also recorded highest number of
fatalities due to climate change and 2nd highest
monetary losses from its impact in 2018.
5. Delhi enters list of top 10 most popular destinations in the
world
• The National Capital has been witnessing soaring
popularity and wellness tourism across the world.
• According to Euro Monitor International, Delhi currently
ranks 11th in the list of world’s tops 100 destinations and
is to gain 8th rank in 2019.
• The ranking was released by the organization on
December 3, 2019 under the title “Top 100 city
destination ranking”
www.gradeup.co
6. Skymet Report: Kharif crop production to dip by 12%
• On December 3, 2019, a private weather monitoring
company, Skymet released a report on Kharif Crop
outlook.
November
1. UNEP Emissions Gap Report 2019
• The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP)
has released ‘Emissions Gap Report-2019’
• The report warns that the Earth’s average temperature
may rise by 3.2 degrees Celsius by 2100.
• Moreover, despite all scientific warnings and political
commitments emissions of greenhouse gases (GHG)
couldn’t decrease globally.
• The report was released prior to United Nations
Climate Conference (COP-25) to be held in Spain from
2 December 2019.
• It states that GHG emissions have increased by 1.5%
since last decade and that carbon dioxide (CO2)
emissions have reached an all-time high figure of 55.3
gigatons.
2. India Corruption Survey 2019
• India Corruption Survey 2019 was carried out by Local
Circles, a social media firm and the Transparency
International India.
• As per the survey, Rajasthan and Bihar fared the worst in
country with 78% and 75% of respondents admitting to
paying bribes, while Telangana topped the list in south
India.
• As compared to 2018, India’s overall ranking in Corruption
Perception Index has risen 3 places to 78 out of 180
countries.
3. Global Diplomacy Index 2019
• The 2019 Global Diplomacy Index was released by
Sydney-based Lowy Institute. The index gives the latest
statistics and marking about how the world’s diplomatic
networks are expanding and, in certain cases, shrinking.
The index ranked 61 countries across the world.
• China now has more diplomatic posts across the world
than United States in 2019. China has overtaken United
States with 276 embassies and consulates worldwide,
which is 3 more than US (both countries have an equal
number of embassies but China has 3 more consulates).
This signifies a marker of its growing international clout
and ambition.
4. CRY Report on Crime against Children in India
• The Child Rights and You recently released a report “How
Vulnerable are Children in India to crime?” The report
34
• According to the report, barring cotton the Kharif crops
are expected to witness a drop-in production by 4.5% to
12% as compared to 2018-19.
• Several crops such as groundnut, soybean, cotton, tur
and urad were adversely affected all over the country
and especially in Maharashtra.
was based on the analysis of National Crime Records
Bureau for 2016-17.
• The report says that the states of Madhya Pradesh and
Uttar Pradesh topped the list of states for crimes against
children. There were over 19,000 cases in both the states.
5. NSO Survey on Household Health Expenditure
• The National Statistical Office on November 23, 2019
released its survey on Household Social Consumption
related to health.
• The survey was conducted between July 2017 and June
2018. It was a part of the 75th round of National Sample
Survey.
• The main objective of the survey was to collect data on
expenditure on medicines, expenditure in
hospitalization, investigation, expenditure, maternity,
childbirth, etc.
• The data for the survey was collected from 1.13,823
households
6. NSS releases report on disability
• The National Statistical Office conducted survey of
Persons with disabilities in the country between the
period July 2018 and December 2018.
• The main objective of the survey is to estimate indicators
of incidence and prevalence of disability, facilities
available to persons with disability, age at onset of
disability, arrangement of regular care giver, difficulties
faced by the persons with disabilities, out of pocket
expenses.
• The survey carried out in the year 2018 was the 76th
round. It included all the disabilities that were included in
The Rights of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2016.
7. NSO report: Rural India yet to become Open Defecation Free
• The NSO under Ministry of Statistics and Programme
Implementation conducted survey on drinking water,
hygiene, sanitation and housing condition between the
period July 2018 and December 2018.
• According to the survey one fourth of the households had
no access to toilets.
• The main objective of this survey was to gather
information about sanitation along with housing facilities
available to the households and micro environment
surrounding the houses.
www.gradeup.co
• The survey is important as the GoI is currently working on
a set target of Drinking Water for all by 2024.
October
1. 300 mn Indians lifted above the poverty line in the last 14
years: NITI Aayog
• According to the NITI Aayog CEO Amitabh Kant, as
many as 300 million Indians were lifted above the
poverty line between 2004 and 2018.
2.
3. India has the second-highest number of Internet users after
China –
• According to a report by Internet and Mobile
Association of India (IAMAI), India has the second-
highest number of internet users after China.
• As per the report, India has 451 million monthly active
internet users at the end of the financial year 2019.
4. Indian diaspora largest in the world at 17.5 million: UN Report
• India was the leading country of origin of international
migrants in 2019 with a 17.5 million strong diaspora.
• Migrants from Mexico constituted the second largest
diaspora (11.8 million), followed by China (10.7
million).
• In India, the highest number of international migrants
came from Bangladesh, Pakistan and Nepal.
• The International Migrant Stock 2019 was released by
the Population Division of the UN Department of
Economic and Social Affairs (DESA).
• The report provides the latest estimates of the
number of international migrants by age, sex and
origin for all countries and areas of the world.
5. National Nutrition Survey – The Ministry of Health and Family
Welfare organized first National Nutrition Survey.
• The ministry took help from UNICEF to complete the
survey.
• The survey was conducted between 2016 and 2018.
Key points –
• Around 10% of children in the age group of 5 to 9 years
and adolescents in the age group 10 to 19 years are pre –
diabetic. 5% of them were overweight and 5% suffered
from blood pressure.
• Tamil Nadu and Goa had the highest number of
adolescents who were obese or overweight.
6. Mukesh Ambani richest Indian with a net worth of Rs
3,80,700 crore: Report
• According to the latest IIFL Wealth Hurun India Rich
List, Reliance Industries' Chairman Mukesh Ambani
has topped the list of richest Indians for the eighth
consecutive year, with a net worth of Rs 3,80,700
crore.
35
• The second spot was retained by the London-based SP
Hinduja & family, with assets worth Rs 1,86,500 crore
which is followed by Wipro founder Azim Premji at
the third place with a wealth of Rs 1,17,100 crore.
7. Global Nutrition Report, 2018 – The Global Nutrition Report
2018, prepared by WHO, states that India is home to 46.6
million stunted children out of 150.8 million stunted children
all over the world.
The report also says that
• Out of 50.5 million children who are wasted globally,
25.5 million are in India.
• India is the third most obese nation in the world.
WHO states India as Diabetes capital with 69.2 million
suffering from diabetes.
8. Mumbai most preferred city for co-living in India: Knight
Frank
• According to the report of property consultant Knight Frank
Mumbai ranks 5th among 20 cities in the Asia Pacific that
can emerge as a co-living destination.
• Whereas, India capital city New Delhi ranked at 11th and
Bengaluru at 19th rank in the list, according to Knight
Frank's report 'Insights on Co-living: An Asia-Pacific
Perspective.'
• Beijing, Tokyo, Shanghai and Hong Kong are the top four
cities in the list.
9. Earth has lost 53% of its Wildlife since 1970: WWF Report
• According to the first-ever global assessment of forest
biodiversity, “Below the Canopy: Plotting Global
Trends in Forest Wildlife Populations” by World Wide
Fund for Nature (WWF), the number of forest wildlife
populations have declined on average by 53% since
1970 due to Habitat loss and degradation, over
exploitation and Climate change.
• The report has been produced in collaboration with
the Zoological Society of London (ZSL)& The UN
Environment World Conservation Monitoring Centre
(UNEP-WCMC) co-led the analysis and modelling for
this report.
10. MSME Pulse Report: Gujarat tops –
• According to TransUnion Credit Information Bureau
(India) Limited (CIBIL) – Small Industries Development
Bank of India’s (SIDBI) Micro, Small & Medium
Enterprises (MSME) Pulse Report, Gujarat was ranked
first in terms of performance and credit growth
potential for MSME Corporate Lending in India.
• It has maintained the top position since the past 4
years. MSME corporate entities are borrowers with
aggregate credit exposure of up to Rs 50 crore. The
 www.gradeup.co
market size of this category is Rs 17.6 lakh crore as of
March 31, 2019.
• Gujarat was followed by Andhra Pradesh, Haryana,
Karnataka and Delhi. Maharashtra, one among the
most industrialized states, was ranked 9th.
11. “Tata” becomes India’s most valuable brand for 2019: Brand
Finance India 100 2019 report
• According to the London-based consultancy Brand
Finance annual report , “Brand Finance India 100
2019”, “Tata” has become India’s most valuable brand
for the second straight year in 2019 with the brand
value of $19.6 billion followed by LIC(Life Insurance
Corporation) (2nd )with $7.3 billion and Infosys (3rd
)$6.5 billion.
12. UN Report: Over 820 million people suffering from hunger –
• A UN report has said, more than 821 million people
suffered from hunger worldwide last year. It is the
third year in a row that the number has risen.
• The report named, ‘The State of Food Security and
Nutrition in the World’, produced by the UN Food
and Agriculture Organization and other UN agencies,
including WHO, was released.
• The report is part of tracking progress towards
Sustainable Development Goal to Zero Hunger, which
aims to end hunger, promote food security and end
all forms of malnutrition by 2030.
Number of hungry people in the world in 2018: 821.6 million
(or 1 in 9 people)
• Asia: 513.9 million.
• Africa: 256.1million.
• Latin America and the Caribbean: 42.5 million.
13. India stays lower-middle-income nation while Sri Lanka gets
richer: World Bank Report
• According to the World Bank’s classification of
countries by income levels, released on July 1, 2019,
India continues to be a lower-middle-income country
along with 46 others, while Sri Lanka has climbed to
the upper-middle-income group for the fiscal year (FY)
2020.
• India became a lower-middle-income nation from
low-income in FY 2009.
• Sri Lanka entered the lower-middle-income group in
FY 1999, from the low-income category and continued
for over two decades, before moving to the upper-
middle-income group this year.
• The World Bank classifies economies based on gross
national income (GNI) per capita (current US$)
calculated using what is called the Atlas method.
• Argentina is the only country that slipped from the
high-income to upper-middle-income group.
Classifications are determined:
36
• A country’s GNI per capita, which can change with
economic growth, inflation, exchange rates, and
population. Revisions to national accounts methods
and data can also influence GNI per capita.
14. WHO has launched its first guidelines on self-care
interventions for health –
• As per an estimate by 2035 the world will face a
shortage of nearly 13 million healthcare workers.
• Currently at least 400 million people worldwide lack
access to the most essential health services.
• The International Self Care Day (ISD) is observed
annually on July 24.
15. 75% of children with disabilities don't attend schools in India:
UNESCO - The 2019 "State of the Education Report for India:
Children with Disabilities" took into account the 2011 census,
according to which there are 78,64,636 children with disability
in India constituting 1.7 percent of the total child population.
Key points of the report -
• India is home to 8 million children with disabilities.
• Nearly 75% of 5 year olds who have certain disabilties, do
not go to any educational institution.
• There are more than 78 lakh children aged under 19 lived
with disabilities.
• Three-fourths of the children with disabilities at the age of
five years and one-fourth between 5-19 years do not go to
any educational institution.
• SDG: The report is in sync with the Sustainable
Development Goal 4(SDG) which aims to ensure
“inclusive and equitable quality education”.
• The report was commissioned by UNESCO and was
prepared by the Tata Institute of Social Science.
16. World Food Programme (WFP) report on Food & Nutrition
Security (FNS) – The report on Food & Nutrition Security (FNS)
Analysis of India developed by UN (United Nations) World
Food Programme in partnership with Ministry of Statistics and
Programme Implementation (MoSPI) stated that 31.4% of
Indian children under five years will still be stunted by 2022.
Key Highlights:
• The stunting in children under 5years of age is the
highest in Bihar (48%), Uttar Pradesh (46%),
Jharkhand (45%), and Meghalaya (44%).
• Only one in five children in Kerala and Goa (20% each)
are stunted.
• Reduction: Stunting in children in India under the age
of five has reduced at a rate of about 1% per year in
the last decade.
• India must double its rate of progress to reach the
target of 25% by 2022 set by the National Nutrition
Mission.
About Stunting:
• Stunting is the impaired growth and development
that children experience from poor nutrition,
 www.gradeup.co
repeated infection, and inadequate psychosocial
stimulation.
17. WHO - E-2020 initiative: 2019 progress report – According to
the World Health Organzation (WHO) - four countries from
Asia — China, Iran, Malaysia and Timor-Leste — and one from
Central America — El Salvador — reported no indigenous
cases of malaria in 2018.
Note:
• Earlier in May 2019, the WHO declared Algeria and
Argentina as malaria-free. The last case of indigenous
malaria was reported from Algeria in 2013 and
Argentina in 2010.
• Algeria became the second E-2020 country to achieve
certification, after Paraguay was certified malaria-free
by WHO last year.
18. Mercer’s 25th Annual Cost of Living Survey –
• Mumbai was considered as India’s most expensive
city.
• Costliest city in the world was Hong Kong for the
second consecutive year.
• It was followed by Tokyo, Singapore and Seoul.
• iLeast Expensive Cities: The world’s least expensive
cities for expatriates were Tunis (209), Tashkent (208),
and Karachi (207).
• Indian Cities: Mumbai fell 12 spots and was ranked
67th position.
• New Delhi stood at 118th place, Chennai was ranked
154th position, Bengaluru at 179th position and
Kolkata at 189th place.
19. India to cross China's population by 2027: United Nations
• As per a United Nations report, India is projected to
surpass China as the world's most populous country in
2027 and will have almost 1.64 billion inhabitants by
2050.
Key highlights of the report
• India is expected to add nearly 273 million people
between 2019 and 2050 and remain the most populated
country through the end of the current century.
• China, with 1.43 billion people in 2019, and India, with
1.37 billion, have long been the two most populous
countries of the world,
World Population
• The UN report 'The World Population Prospects 2019'
added that the world's population is expected to increase
by two billion people in the next 30 years -- from 7.7
billion currently to 9.7 billion in 2050.
Population Growing Older
• By 2050, one in six people in the world will be over age
65 (16 per cent), up from one in 11 in 2019 (9 per cent).
• The number of persons aged 80 years or over is projected
to triple, from 143 million in 2019 to 426 million in 2050.
Average life expectancy
37
• The report also projected people would survive longer in
the future, with global average life expectancy expected to
reach 77.1 years in 2050 against 72.6 years currently.
• In 1990, the average life expectancy worldwide was 64.2
years.
20. At 9.8 GB per month, India has the highest data usage per
smartphone
• According to a new study by Swedish telecom equipment
maker Ericsson, India has the highest average data usage
per smartphone, reaching 9.8 GB per month at the end of
2018.
• The report, released on 19th June, also forecasts that this
figure is likely to double to 18 GB per month per
smartphone by 2024.
• The ‘Ericsson Mobility Report’ added that total
smartphone subscriptions in the region is likely to reach
1.1 billion by 2024, growing at 11% CAGR.
• The total mobile broadband subscriptions in India are
expected to grow from about 610 million in 2018 to 1.25
billion in 2024.
21. Dell has emerged as the most trusted brand in India in 2019:
TRA
• According to a report released by brand analytics firm
TRA Research, “Dell” has emerged as the most trusted
brand in India in 2019.
• IC and Amazon are ranked on the third and fourth
spots and Apple iPhone emerged as India’s fifth most
trusted brand.
22. Amazon top global brand: 100 Top BrandZ report
• According to global market research agency Kantar in
its 2019’s ‘100 Top BrandZ Report’, US retail giant
Amazon has moved past hi-tech titans Apple and
Google to become the world’s most valuable brand.
• The brand value of Amazon surged by 52 percent to
$315 billion, hence jumping from third to first place to
replace Google.
23. Arunachal has highest 35% of India’s Graphite Deposits: GSI
Report
• The Geological Survey of India (GSI) in its report
revealed that about 35 % of India’s total Graphite
reserves are found in Arunachal Pradesh. This is the
highest found in the country.
24. BPRD releases “Data on Police Organizations (DoPO 2018)”
• Union Minister of State for Home Affairs G. Kishan
Reddy has released the Bureau of Police Research and
Development’s flagship publication “Data on Police
Organizations” (DoPO 2018) in New Delhi.
• There has been an increase of 19,686 Police personnel
in the sanctioned strength of the State Police and
16,051 in the strength of CAPFs
 www.gradeup.co
• There has been 20.95% increase in the strength of
Woman Police which brings the total percentage of
women in the Indian Police to 8.73%.
• The overall Police Population Ratio at the state level
stood at 192.95 policemen per lakh population.
• Police Stations have increased from 15579 to 16422.
This includes Cyber Police Stations whose number has
risen from 84 to 120.
• Electronic surveillance has improved with addition of
2,10,278 CCTV Cameras.
25. NCRB releases Crime in India Report 2017
• National Crime Records Bureau has released the
annual “Crime in India Report 2017” after a delay of 2
years.
• 3.59 lakh cases of crime against women were
reported in the country. Uttar Pradesh topped the list
with 56,011 cases followed by Maharashtra with
31,979 cases and West Bengal 30,002 in cases of
crime against women.
• Majority of cases under crimes against women were
registered under ‘Cruelty by Husband or his Relatives’
(27.9%) followed by ‘Assault on Women with Intent to
Outrage her Modesty’ (21.7%), ‘Kidnapping &
Abduction of Women’ (20.5%) and ‘Rape’ (7.0%).
• The NCRB report also cited 58,880 incidents of rioting
in 2017. Maximum incidents of rioting were reported
from Bihar (11,698), followed by Uttar Pradesh
(8,990) and Maharashtra (7,743).
• The incidents registered under the Scheduled Caste
Prevention of Atrocities Act saw an increase from
5,082 incidents reported in 2016 to 5,775 in 2017.
• Incidents of crime related to Scheduled Tribes dipped
from 844 in 2016 to 720 in 2017.
26. Narendra Modi becomes most followed leader on Instagram:
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi has become the most-
followed elected world leader on photo-sharing app
Instagram.
• He is ahead of US President Donald Trump,
Indonesian President Joko Widodo and former
president Barack Obama.
Government Schemes
December
1. Draj Bridge for all-weather connectivity inaugurated in Rajouri
(J&K)
Note: Lt Governor of Jammu and Kashmir Girish Chandra
Murmu, inaugurated all weather Draj Bridge in Rajouri, J&K.
It is an important bridge for the military as well as for socio-
economic development of J&K’s Rajouri District as a whole. It
is a 72-metre-long Multi Cell Box Type Load Class 70 bridge.
2. GoI Notified that only Aadhar authenticated bank accounts
to get PM-Kisan payments
38
• With 30 million followers, PM Modi leads the list of
world leaders on Instagram, with Joko Widodo coming
in a close second with 25.6 million followers on the
popular app.
• Barack Obama comes in third with 24.8 million
followers while, Donald Trump, trails behind with 14.9
million followers.
27. Forbes India Rich List 2019
• The US business magazine Forbes has released “The
Forbes India Rich List 2019” which has been topped by
Reliance Industries chairman Mukesh Ambani with
net worth of $51.4 billion.
• Industrialist Gautam Adani jumped 8 spots on the list
to become the 2nd richest Indian with net worth of
$15.7 billion.
• Hinduja Brothers, Pallonji Mistry and Uday Kotak are
at 3rd, 4th and 5th position respectively with net worth
of $15.6 billion, $15 billion and $14.8 billion
28. 2019 Global Report on Food Crises –
• The report is released by the Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO).
Key points –
• More than 113 million people across 53 countries
experienced “acute hunger” last year because of wars
and climate disasters, with Africa the worst-hit region.
• Yemen, the Democratic Republic of Congo,
Afghanistan and Syria were among the eight nations
accounting for two-thirds of the total number of
people worldwide exposed to the risk of famine.
• African Nations were “disproportionally” affected as
close to 72 million people on the continent suffered
acute hunger.
About FAO –
• The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) is a
specialized agency of the United Nations that leads
international efforts to defeat hunger.
• Headquarters: Rome, Italy
• Founded: 16 October 1945
Note: Union Government has notified that the fourth
instalment of the Pradhan Mantri Kisan Samman Nidhi (PM-
KISAN) income support scheme due in December 2019 will be
transferred only to Aadhar-authenticated bank accounts of
more than 50 million beneficiaries. This will be the first time
since the launch of this scheme on 24 February 2019, that the
government is insisting on mandatory condition of Aadhar
seeding.
3. 100 days of Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana
 www.gradeup.co
Note: The National programme driven by Tribal Cooperative
Marketing Development Federation of India (TRIFED),
Pradhan Mantri Van Dhan Yojana (PMVDY), completed 100
days under Ministry of Tribal Affairs on December 7, 2019.
The programme aims at empowering the tribal community.
4. Fourth Phase of UDAN scheme launched
Note: The Union Government of India has launched the
fourth round of UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Nagrik) to enhance
the connectivity to regional areas of the country. This phase
is to focus on Hilly states, North East Region, Ladakh, Jammu
and Kashmir and Islands.
5. Bharatiya Poshan Anthem launched by Vice President M
Venkaiah
Note: Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu launched the
‘Bharatiya Poshan Anthem’ in New Delhi, which aims towrads
November
1. HRD Ministry launches Kartavya Portal: On the occasion of
70th Constitution Day also known as Samvidhan Divas observed
on 26 November 2019, Union Human Resource Development
(HRD) Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ launched the
kartavya.ugc.ac.in portal for holding monthly essay
competitions for students. The portal was launched as part of
year-long ‘Nagrik Kartavya Paalan Abhiyan’ being observed
throughout the country.
2. Food Processing Scheme: 271 crores cleared by IMAC:
Note: The Inter-Ministerial Approval Committee chaired by
Minister of Food Processing Shri Harsimrat Kaur has sanctioned
Rs 271 crores for the CEFPPC scheme (Creation/Expansion of
Food Processing and Preservation Capacities) scheme. The focus
was given to projects that emphasized on linking agriculture and
marketing food processing technologies.
3. CLAP: Credit-linked Subsidy Services Awas Portal launched by
government
Note: Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep
Singh Puri launched the Credit Link Subsidy Scheme (CLSS) Awas
Portal (CLAP). Along with portal, the Union Ministry of Housing
and Urban Affairs (MHUA) also launched Global Housing
Technology Challenge (GHTC)-India to accomplish ‘Housing for
All Mission’. MHUA also signed agreements with certain state
October
1. Faceless e-Assessment scheme launched by the Income Tax
Department – On 07th October, the Income-Tax Department
launched a faceless e-assessment scheme to eliminate
interface between an assessing officer and a taxpayer.
• The scheme was launched by the Revenue
Secretary Ajay Bhushan Pandey in New Delhi.
• With the launch of the scheme, the Income Tax
Department begin with, 58,322 cases for the
faceless e-Assessment scheme.
39
taking message of making India malnutrition free to all
corners of country. While launching, Vice president hoped
that the ‘poshan anthem’ will lead to a nutrition revolution to
transform India into a malnutrition-free country by 2022. The
anthem was conceptualised by Union Ministry of Women and
Child Development (MoWCD) and has been penned by noted
lyricist Prasoon Joshi and sung by Shankar Mahadevan.
6. Intensified Mission Indra Dhanush 2.0 begins
Note: Government has launched its flagship scheme
‘Intensified Mission Indradhanush 2.0’ to focus on full
immunization coverage of 272 districts spread over 27 states
and 652 blocks of Uttar Pradesh and Bihar among hard-to-
reach and tribal populations. The Mission Indradhanush 2.0
will be carried out between December 2019 and March 2020.
governments for the construction of LightHouse projects under
GHTC-India.
4. J&K achieves highest road length in country under PMGSY in
2019
Note: During the current fiscal year so far, the Jammu and
Kashmir has achieved the highest road length in country under
Centre’s rural roads’ programme of Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak
Yojana (PMGSY). It is a centrally-sponsored scheme under the
Union Ministry of Rural Development. This significant
accomplishment involves completion of around 11,400
kilometres of different road projects covering 1,838 habitations
against the total sanctioned length of 19,700 kilometres against
sanctioned 2,214 habitations.
5. Assam Government to launch Arundhati Swarna Yojana
Note: Assam Government has announced to launch ‘Arundhati
Swarna Yojana’ on 1 January 2020. Under this scheme, state
government will give each beneficiary bride fixed amount to buy
10 grams (one tola) of gold during her marriage if the marriage
is registered. Under this scheme, State government will not give
the gold directly to beneficiary bride but will provide Rs. 30,000
to purchase 10 gms of gold. The scheme will cost around Rs 800
crore annually on the state government exchequer.
• The National e-Assessment Center (NeAC) will
facilitate the faceless e-assessment scheme
across the country and benefit taxpayers.
2. 'Farishtey Dilli Ke' scheme launched by the Delhi Government
– On 07th October Chief Minister of Delhi Arvind Kejriwal
launched 'Farishtey Dilli Ke' scheme to honour good
samaritans who take accident victims to the hospital.
 www.gradeup.co
3. YSR Vahana Mitra scheme launched by Andhra Pradesh state
– The scheme was launched by the Chief Minister of Andhra
Pradesh YS Jagan Mohan Reddy.
• The scheme will provide Rs.10,000 allowance to
self-employed drivers of the state.
About YSR Vahana Mitra Scheme
• Under the scheme an allowance of Rs.10000
would be given every year to the beneficiaries.
• It will provide Rs.50,000 to self-employed drivers
in 5 years.
September
1. Government launches UMMID initiative – To tackle the
menace of genetic diseases in newborn babies.
• This initiative was launched by Minister of Health
and Family Welfare Dr. Harsh Vardhan
Key points –
• UMMID stands for - The Unique Methods of
Management and treatment of Inherited
Disorders.
• Aim - to tackle inherited genetic diseases of
newborn babies.
National Inherited Diseases Administration (NIDAN) – The NIDAN
kendras are to be established under the UMMID initiative. These
centres will provide counselling, prenatal testing / diagnosis and
management in government hospitals of the country.
2. Haryana launches two insurance schemes for traders – The
State government of Haryana has launched two insurance
schemes for registered small and medium traders. Traders
registered under the Haryana Goods and Service Tax (HGST)
Act, 2017 would be covered under these schemes.
(i) “Mukhyamantri Vyapari Samuhik Niji Durghatna
Beema Yojana” – An insurance cover of Rs 5 lakh would be
provided under this scheme.
(ii) Mukhyamantri Vyapari Kshatipurti Beema Yojana –
An insurance cover ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 25 lakh
would be provided under this scheme.
3. ‘Mukhya Mantri Dal Poshit Yojana’ launched in Uttarakhand
– ‘Mukhya Mantri Dal Poshit Yojana’ launched in
Uttarakhand. The scheme was launched by the Chief
Minister Trivendra Singh Rawat.
• Aim - Yojana’ to provide state ration card holders
two kilograms of two different varieties of pulses
available at prices much lower than the market
rate.
• Under the scheme State government will offer a
subsidy of Rs.15 per kilogram on variety of pulses
identified, including chana, malka and masur.
• Each eligible beneficiary and ration card holders
in state will get 2 kgs of pulses at subsidised rates
every month under the scheme.
40
4. ‘The Gandhian Challenge’ for school children - On the
occasion of 150th birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi, Atal
Innovation Mission (AIM), NITI Aayog’s Atal Tinkering Labs
(ATL) and UNICEF India, including Generation Unlimited,
launched ‘The Gandhian Challenge’ for school children.
• This innovation challenge provides a platform for
every child across India to ideate innovative
solutions for a sustainable India of their dreams,
using Gandhi’s principles.
4. Assam Govt launches “Aponar Apon Ghar” scheme – The
Assam Government has launched a housing loan subsidy
scheme “Aponar Apon Ghar”.
• The scheme was launched to provide financial
assistance on purchase or construction of the first
house for a family.
• The subsidy of up to Rs 250000 will be provided
for loan amounts from Rs 5,00,000 to Rs
40,00,000.
5. Scheme “Nirvik” to ease the lending process – Ministry of
Commerce & Industry through Export Credit Guarantee
Corporation has introduced a new Export Credit Insurance
Scheme called NIRVIK.
• Under the new scheme NIRVIK, up to 90 per cent
of the principal amount and interest will be
covered through insurance.
6. PM Narendra Modi launches National Animal Disease Control
Programme – Prime Minister Narendra Modi has launched the
National Animal Disease Control Programme in Uttar Pradesh’s
Mathura.
Key points –
• The programme aims at vaccinating over 500
Million livestock including cattle, buffalo, sheep,
goats and pigs against foot and mouth disease.
• The programme also aims at vaccinating 36
million female bovine calves annually in its fight
against Brucellosis disease.
• The government will fund the programme for Rs
12,652 crore for a period of 5 years till 2024.
• The programme has two components; to control
the diseases by 2025 and eradication by 2030.
7. PM Modi launched 3 schemes launched in Ranchi, Jharkhand
(i) 'Kisan Maan-dhan Yojana', pension scheme for small
and marginal farmers – Prime Minister Narendra Modi
launched 'Kisan Maan-dhan Yojana' or PM-KMY in Ranchi,
Jharkhand.
Key points of the scheme –
• Minimum pension - Under this scheme, small and
marginal farmers, who have attained the age of
 www.gradeup.co
60, will get a minimum pension of Rs 3,000 per
month.
• Age limit - All small and marginal farmers, who
are currently aged between 18 and 40 years, are
eligible to avail the benefits.
• Outlay of the scheme - The scheme has an outlay
of Rs 10,774 crore for the next three years.
• Monthly contribution - The farmers will have to
make a monthly contribution of Rs 55 to Rs 200,
depending on their age of entry in the pension
fund till they reach the retirement date.
(ii) Pradhan Mantri Laghu Vyaparik Mandhan Yojana' - For small
traders and shopkeepers -
• Minimum pension - Under this scheme, small and
marginal farmers, who have attained the age of 60, will
get a minimum pension of Rs 3,000 per month.
• Age limit - All small and marginal farmers, who are
currently aged between 18 and 40 years, are eligible to
avail the benefits.
• Government has earmarked Rs 750 crore for the scheme
in the Union Budget 2019-20.
• The benefit of the scheme will be available to all those
businesses whose annual turnover under GST is less than
Rs 1.5 crore.
(iii) Ekalavya Model residential schools - The Prime Minister laid
the foundation stone of 462 Eklavya Model Residential Schools
online in tribal areas.
• In this, 69 Eklavya schools are being opened in 13 districts
of Jharkhand.
• Each school will have 480 tribal students. The students will
be trained in four different sports.
8. Ayushman Bharat scheme completes one year of its launch –
Ayushman Bharat - the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana has
completed one year of its launch on 23rd September 2019.
• Indu Bhushan is the Chief Executive Officer (CEO)
of the Centre's ambitious Ayushman Bharat
National Health Protection Mission (ABNHPM).
Note:
• On 23rd September 2018, Prime Minister
Narendra Modi had launched the scheme from
Ranchi, Jharkhand.
• The scheme is renamed as PM Jan Arogya Yojana.
• The Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana, popularly
known as Ayushman Bharat, looks to provide
cashless hospitalisation for 1,354 procedures to
10 crore poor families for Rs 5 lakh per family per
year.
Scheme Announced in Budget 2019-20
41
• The Indian insurance regulator has partnered
with the National Health Authority to study the
prime minister’s health insurance scheme
(Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana) and suggest
measures to streamline its implementation.
9. National Artificial Insemination Programme – Prime Minister
Narendra Modi launched the National Artificial Insemination
Programme at Mathura, Uttar Pradesh.
• Aim – To eradicate Foot and Mouth Disease
(FMD) and Brucellosis in the livestock.
• The programme 100% funding from Central
Government, of Rs.12,652 Crores for a period of 5
years till 2024.
10. Govt. launches updated Credit linked Capital Subsidy Scheme
– Union Minister for Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises
Nitin Gadkari launched the updated Credit linked Capital
Subsidy Scheme (CLCSS) to allow micro, small and medium
enterprises (MSMEs) access to capital.
• Union Minister re-Launched the Credit Linked Capital
Subsidy (CLCS) web portal during the 2-day workshop
on ‘Credit Linked Capital Subsidy and Delayed
Payment of MSMEs’ held at New Delhi.
• During the course of workshop Memorandum of
Understandings (MoUs) was also signed by office of
Development Commissioner (MSME), Ministry of
MSME with 11 Nodal Banks.
• It provides 15% subsidy for additional investment up
to Rrs.1cr. for technology upgradation by MSMEs in
the specified 51 sub-sectors.
• Now in relaunched scheme there is an additional 10%
subsidy to SC-ST entrepreneurs while special
provisions have been made for 117 ‘aspirational’
districts, northeastern region and hill states.
11. SATHI: IIT Kharagpur to assist academic institutes in
neighbouring region – Indian Institutes of Technology (IIT)
Kharagpur has been selected for setting up a Sophisticated
Analytical and Technical Help Institute (SATHI), a Department
of Science and Technology (DST) initiative of Centre.
• Centre has allotted an amount of Rs.125 crore over a
period of financial years (starting from 2019-20) for
the purpose.
• SATHI is a state-of-the-art, professionally managed
science and technology infrastructure facility. Its
primary objective will be to extend help to academic
institutes in neighbouring regions.
 www.gradeup.co
1. FAME II scheme – aims to encourage faster adoption of
electric vehicles by right incentives and charging infra.
Key points
• The Union cabinet chaired by the Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi has approved the proposal for
implementation of scheme titled 'Faster Adoption and
Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles in India Phase II
(FAME India Phase II)' for promotion of Electric
Mobility in the country.
• Only advanced-battery-operated and registered e-
vehicles to be incentivized under FAME Scheme.
Financial Implications:
• Total fund requirement for this scheme is Rs. 10,000
crores over three years from 2019-20 to 2021-22.
Note:
• This scheme is the expanded version of the present
scheme titled 'FAME India1 which was launched on 1st
April 2015, with total outlay of Rs. 895 crores.
2. Beti Bachao Beti Padhao – The Economic Survey 2019 has
proposed a change in the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP)
scheme.
• The campaign, to be labelled BADLAV (Beti Aapki Dhan
Lakshmi Aur Vijay Lakshmi), will be used to represent the
change towards gender equality.
Beti Bachao Beti Padhao (BBBP) Scheme:
• BBBP scheme was launched on 22 January 2015 by Prime
Minister Narendra Modi.
• It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of Women and Child
Development, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare
and the Ministry of Human Resource Development.
• The budget of Rs 280 crore allocated to BBBP scheme in
the current financial year.
3. Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY) – In the
Union Budget 2019-20, the allocation for the Pradhan Mantri
Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY), a maternity benefit
programme, was Rs 2,500 crore.
Key points
• Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh, and Madhya
Pradesh were the top three performing states under
the maternity benefit programme 'Pradhan Mantri
Matru Vandana Yojana' (PMMVY).
4. Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada Yojana: A new scheme to
promote processing in the fishery sector.
• While presenting Union Budget 2019-20, Finance
Minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced a new
scheme to promote processing in the fishery sector.
• The new scheme, Pradhan Mantri Matsya Sampada
Yojana (PMMSY), will be established under the
Department of Fisheries for a robust fisheries
management framework.
42
• She also announced the creation of a new ministry for
fisheries sector Ministry of Fisheries, Animal
Husbandry and Dairying.
• The new ministry was formed in order to promote the
allied farm sector that has huge potential to help
achieve the government's target of doubling farmers'
income by 2022.
• The budget allocated for the newly carved out
Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying
is Rs 3,737 crore.
5. Pradhan Mantri Karam Yogi Maandhan Scheme – Monthly
Pension Scheme for Traders
• The Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Shri
Narendra Modi has approved Rs.3000 monthly
pension scheme for small retail traders and
shopkeepers after they attain the age of 60 years.
Key points of Scheme
• Under the scheme all small shopkeepers, retail
traders and self-employed persons are assured a
minimum of Rs.3,000 monthly pension after attaining
60 years of 60 years.
• The new pension scheme that offers pension
coverage to the trading community will cover 3 crore
small retail traders and shop keepers.
• Eligibility: All small shopkeepers, self-employed
persons and retail traders aged between 18-40 years
and with Goods and Service Tax (GST) turnover below
Rs.1.5 crore can enrol for pension scheme.
6. National Common Mobility Card – India’s first indigenously
developed payment ecosystem for transport, based on
National Common Mobility Card (NCMC) standards, launched
in March 2019.
• This will enable people to pay multiple transport
charges across India.
• This card runs on RuPay card and allows users to pay
bus charges, parking charges, etc.
Note:
• National Payment Corporation of India (NPCI)
developed One Nation One Card.
• Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs ministry
formulates the concept of One Nation One Card.
7. One Nation, One Grid – for power availability to states at
affordable rates.
8. MUDRA scheme – According to the Union Budget 2019-20, the
overdraft of Rs. 5,000 to be allowed for every verified women
SHG member having a Jan Dhan Bank Account.
• One woman per SHG to be eligible for a loan up to Rs.
1 lakh under MUDRA Scheme.
Note:
• Prime Minister Modi had launched Pradhan Mantri
Mudra Yojana (PMMY) in April 2015.
 www.gradeup.co
• The objective was to provide non-corporate and non-
agricultural small businesses with loans up to Rs 10
lakh, which are called Mudra loans.
• Mudra loans are divided into three categories: Shishu
(loans up to Rs 50,000), Kishor (loans between Rs.
50,001 and Rs. 5 lakh), and Tarun (loans between Rs.
5,00,001 and Rs. 10 lakh).
• Maximum loan amount under MUDRA scheme is – Rs
10 lakh and the minimum loan amount is Rs. 50,000.
• MUDRA stands for - Micro Units Development &
Refinance Agency Ltd.
9. Jal Jeevan Mission – Jal Shakti Mantralaya will work with
states to ensure Har Ghar Jal for all rural houses by 2024,
under JalJeevan Mission.
• To all rural households by 2024, water will be
supplied.
10. Pradhan Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan - Over 2
crore Indian made digitally literate under PMGDISHA (Pradhan
Mantri Gramin Digital Saksharta Abhiyan).
• Under Digital India Programme would cover 6 crore
households in rural areas to make them digitally
literate.
• The Scheme is applicable only for rural areas of the
country.
Entry criteria
• The beneficiary should be Digitally Illiterate
• Only one person per eligible household would be
considered for training
• Age Group: 14 - 60 years
11. Pradhan Mantri Gram Sadak Yojana – Under phase three of
PM Gram Sadak Yojana, 1.25 lakh kms of road to be built in
the next five years. Project cost estimated cost of nearly Rs
80,200 crore.
12. ASPIRE scheme - Under ASPIRE to develop, 80 Livelihood
business incubators and 20 technology business incubators to
be set up in 2019-20
Summits & Conference
December
1. International Seminar on Climate Smart Farming Systems
begins in New Delhi
Note: BIMSTEC countries’ ‘International Seminar on Climate
Smart Farming Systems’ was held in New Delhi. The
objective of this International Seminar is to have experience
sharing to enable improvement of tropical smallholder
farming systems for greater productivity and resilience to
climate change through ecological approaches.
2. Switzerland to be the country partner of BioAsia 2020
Note: Switzerland will be the country partner at the 17th
edition of BioAsia2020 scheduled to be held from February
17-19, 2020 in Hyderabad, Telangana. The theme of the
43
ASPIRE Scheme -
• The ASPIRE-A scheme runs under the Ministry of
Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises and aims to
promote innovation, rural industry and
entrepreneurship in India.
• This scheme was launched in March 2015.
• Objective - To set up a network of technology centres,
incubation centres to accelerate entrepreneurship
and also to promote start-ups for innovation and
entrepreneurship in rural and agriculture based
industry with a fund of Rs. 200 crores.
13. MNREGA – According to the budget document, for the
Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee
Programme (MNREGA) the budget was allocated to Rs 60,000
crore for 2019-20.
14. National Rural Livelihood Mission – In the Union Budget 2019-
20, this year, the allocation has been increased to Rs 9,024
crore.
Note: Originally called as Aajeevika – National Rural
Livelihoods Mission, the programme was renamed as
Deendayal Antyodaya Yojana – National Rural Livelihood
Mission (DAY-NRLM) in 2015.
15. Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana (PMAY) - Under PMAY Garmin,
in the 2nd phase 1.95 crore houses are proposed to be provide
to eligible beneficiary with facilities like toilet and LPG
connection.
• Urban, over 80 lakh houses have been sanctioned
under PMAY.
• The completion of houses that required 314 days in
2015-16, it has now come down to 114 days since
2017.
• The budget allocated for PMAY for 2019-20 fiscal is Rs
19,000 crore.
summit is “Today For Tomorrow”. Switzerland is making
innovations in the world of medical healthcare and that
many pharmaceutical companies have emerged as the
center of Switzerland.
3. 54th DGsP/IGsP Conference held in Pune
Note: 54th DGsP/IGsP conference was held in Pune. Prime
Minister Narendra Modi addressed the valedictory session of
the Conference. President’s police medals were also
awarded to officers of the Intelligence Bureau for their
distinguished services.
4. Goa to host 2nd edition of Startup India Global Venture
Capital Summit 2019
 www.gradeup.co
Note: The 2nd edition of Startup India Global Venture
Capital Summit was held in Goa on 6-7 December 2019 for
Fund Managers and Limited Partners of Top Global Venture
Capital (VC) Firms. The summit is being organized by
Department for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade
(DPIIT) under Union Ministry of Commerce and Industry, in
partnership with Goa Government. Theme for Startup India
Global Venture Capital Summit 2019 is- ‘India Opportunity-
Investing in tomorrow together’.
5. NATO Summit 2019 in Watford, United Kingdom:
Note: 2019 NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization)
Summit was held in London, United Kingdom (UK). The year
2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the summit. It was
attended by NATO leaders and chaired by NATO Secretary-
General Jens Stoltenberg. The purpose of the summit was to
make the heads of state and heads of government of NATO
member countries to evaluate and provide strategic
direction for Alliance activities.
6. 3rd edition of National Public Procurement Conclave held
in New Delhi
Note: It was inaugurated by the Commerce and Industry
Minister Piyush Goyal. The conclave has been organized by
Government e-Marketplace, GeM in association with
Confederation of Indian Industry. GeM epitomizes the
speed, skill and scale which is essential in an e-marketplace
platform. GeM rests on the three pillars of openness,
November
1. 1st International Conference on “Landslides Risk Reduction
and Resilience” held in New Delhi:
Note: Minister of State for Home Affairs, inaugurated the 1st
International Conference on “Landslides Risk Reduction and
Resilience” in New Delhi. The Conference called for
developing technology to anticipate disasters like landslides
and develop infrastructure to quickly respond to minimise
the damage. The landslides have attracted global attention
as they may cause huge havoc on communities, livestock,
environment leading to huge loss of lives. This conference
will go a long way in finding long term solutions to natural
disasters.
2. 8th Water Technology and Environment Control
Conference 2019
Note: Union Minister of Jal Shakti, represented India at the 8
WATEC (Water Technology and Environment Control)
Conference 2019. The theme of the conference is “Water
Stewardship and Innovation–driving global leadership in the
responsible planning management, and protection of
water”. The conference held at David Intercontinental in Tel
Aviv, Israel.
3. DEFCOM India 2019:
Note: The DEFCOM INDIA 2019 seminar was held at
Manekshaw Centre, New Delhi. The theme for the seminar
is, “Communications: A Decisive Catalyst for Jointness”. The
seminar is devoted to the seminal theme of leveraging
44
fairness and inclusiveness and is a symbol of a truly
transparent e-marketplace.
7. Pacific Air Chiefs’ Symposium 2019 held in Pearl Harbor:
Note: Pacific Air Chiefs’ Symposium 2019 (PACS 2019) was
held at Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii. Chief of the
Air Staff of India participated in the conclave. The theme for
this year’s symposium is ‘A Collaborative Approach to
Regional Security’. The conference will bring together Air
Chiefs from across the Indo-Pacific region who will provide
perspectives on common challenges faced and on shared
mutual interests while focusing on relevant topics like
‘Regional Security’, ‘Domain Awareness’, ‘Multi-Domain
Awareness’, Ínteroperability’ and ‘HADR’.
8. Defence Minister addresses Armed Forces Flag Day-CSR
Conclave:
Note: Defence Minister addresses the Armed Forces Flag
Day-CSR Conclave in New Delhi. He has expressed
confidence that the corporate sector will contribute
generously to the welfare of ex-servicemen. He said
common people had generously contributed to ‘Bharat Ke
Veer’ Fund for the bereaved families of soldiers who laid
down their lives in the line of duty. ‘Bharat Ke Veer’ Fund
was established with the help of the corporate sector that
assisted the families of martyred Central Armed Police
Forces personnel.
communications for achieving jointness between the three
services.47th All India Police Science Congress held in
Lucknow
Note: The 47th All India Police Science Congress (AIPSC) was
held in Lucknow. The event was inaugurated by Puducherry
Lieutenant Governor and retired IPS officer Kiran Bedi. Uttar
Pradesh Police in association with the Home Ministry and
the Bureau of Police Research and Development has
organised the event at the police headquarters in Lucknow.
4. India to host SCO forum of Young Scientists and Innovators
2020
Note: India will host the Shanghai Cooperation Organisation
(SCO) Forum of Young Scientists and Innovators in 2020. The
5th Meeting of Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO)
Member States Heads of Ministries and Departments of
Science and Technology and Permanent Working Group on
S&T Cooperation concluded in Moscow, Russia.
5. NuGen Mobility Summit-2019 being held in Haryana
Note: Union Minister of Road Transport & Highways and
Shipping, Nitin Gadkari inaugurated NuGen Mobility Summit-
2019 at International Center of Automotive Technology
(ICAT) in Manesar, Haryana. This three-day conference was
held from 27 to 29 November 2019. The conference is the
largest automotive technology event in country so far. The
event is being organized by ICAT on relevant topics of
Alternate Fuel Systems and e-Mobility.
 www.gradeup.co
1. The 9th Regional Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP)
Intersessional Ministerial Meeting held in -- Bangkok,
Thailand.
Note: Commerce Minister Piyush Goyal has represented India
in the meeting.
2. State Power Ministers’ Conference held in --- Gujarat.
Note: The 2-day conference discussed on policies related to
emerging technologies in sustainable and renewable energy
sector.
3. The 1st India Sports Summit 2019 held in -- New Delhi.
Note: According to Minister of State for Youth and Sports Kiren
Rijiju, ‘Fit India’ mission office would be set up, with the help
of the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII), to promote the
aforementioned goals.
4. The 2nd “India-China Informal Summit” held at
Mamallapuram, Tamil Nadu.
Note:The first summit held in Wuhan in the wake of the
Doklam crisis in April, 2018.
5. Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired a meeting on ‘Ek Bharat
Shreshtha Bharat’ programme in -- Delhi.
Note: Under the initiative, the government plans to hold
people-to-people exchange between states to enhance
knowledge about each-others culture. ‘Ek Bharat Shrestha
Bharat’ highlights India’s diversity and furthers national unity.
6. The first National Hindi Science writers conference 2019 held
in -- Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh.
Note: A dedicated website WWW.VIGYANLEKHAN.COM has
been prepared for this event.
7. Union minister Nitin Gadkari inaugurated a conference on ---
‘One Nation One Tag – FASTag.
Note: Under this system the same FASTag affixed on the
windscreen of a vehicle can be used to pay toll across all toll
plazas in the country.
8. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh inaugurated the 41st DRDO
Directors Conference in -- New Delhi.
9. Who will host the 91st Interpol General Assembly in 2022 ---
India.
Note: All major decisions affecting general policy, the
resources needed for international cooperation, working
methods and finances are deliberated and discussed by
representatives.
10. Dr Jitendra Singh inaugurated the 11th Edition of Nuclear
Energy Conclave 2019 in -- New Delhi.
Note: The theme of the Conclave: “Economics of Nuclear
Power- Innovation towards Safer & Cost-Effective
Technologies”. It was organized by India Energy Forum (IEF). A
“Hall of Nuclear Energy” was opened to educate the students
and the general public about the applications of nuclear
energy, in Pragati Maidan in Delhi.
11. The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) Summit held in -- Baku,
Azerbaijan.
Note: The Non-Alignment Movement was founded in 1961.
India is a founding member of the NAM summit.
12. The first India-Bangladesh Stakeholders’ meet was held in --
Guwahati.
45
Note: A 70-member delegation from Bangladesh is
participating in the meet, while a similar top-level team will
represent the host nation.
13. The Global Bio-India 2019 held for the first time in India --
New Delhi.
Note: A brochure of GlobalBio-India 2019 was also released at
the Curtain Raiser ceremony.
14. The 9th edition of Bangladesh-India Friendship Dialogue will
be held at -- Cox Bazar, Bangladesh.
Note: The dialogue aims to draw from learning and
experiences in these sectors between India and Bangladesh.
15. The 35th ASEAN Summit began in --- Bangkok, Thailand.
Note: 10 ASEAN member countries: Indonesia, Thailand,
Singapore, Philippines, Malaysia, Vietnam, Brunei, Cambodia,
Myanmar (Burma), Laos. The theme of the summit for this year
is “Advancing Partnership for Sustainability”.
16. The 6th parliamentary summit of G20 countries, held in ---
Tokyo, Japan.
Note: Lok sabha speaker Om Birla composed the Indian
Parliament delegation.
17. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the11th BRICS
Summit in -- Brasilia, Brazil.
Note: The theme of the Summit this year is “Economic Growth
for an Innovative Future”.
18. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurating 10th Asian
Conference of Emergency Medicine in -- New Delhi.
Note: The Government of India has made it mandatory for all
medical college hospitals to have full-fledged Emergency
Departments by 2022 with an aim to improve trauma car
19. National Capital Region -2041” conclave held in --- Delhi
Note: This conclave is organized by the National Capital Region
Planning Board (NCRPB). The theme of the conclave was
“Planning for Tomorrow’s Greatest Capital Region”.
20. 19th council of heads of government of the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation 2020 will be held in – India.
21. The 27th Conference of Central and State Statistical
Organizations (COCSSO) held in -- Kolkata.
Note: The theme of this conference was “Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs)” which highlights the actions taken
by the Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation
(MoSPI) for a strong observing mechanism for Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs).
22. India-ASEAN (Association of Southeast Asian Nations)
Business Summit 2019 held in --- New Delhi.
23. Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) Forum of Young
Scientists and Innovators in 2020 will be hosted by -- India
24. Global Bio-India Summit 2019 held in -- New Delhi.
Note: It will bring academia, innovators, researchers, start-ups,
medium and large companies together on the same platform.
25. 8th International Conference on Agricultural Statistics will be
held in – India.
Note: The conference will be held with the theme of ‘Statistics
for Transformation of Agriculture to Achieve the Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs)’.
 www.gradeup.co
26. The Women and Child Development Minister Smriti Irani
addressed the 2nd edition of South Asia Safety Summit in -
New Delhi.
October
1. C40 Summit will be held in Copenhagen – The C40 Summit is
to take place in Copenhagen between 9th October and 12th
October, 2019. The aim of the summit is to show how cities are
delivering their strong commitments for healthier, sustainable,
resilient and inclusive future.
2. Second edition of informal summit between India and China –
Mamallpuram, Tamil Nadu
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chinese President
Xi Jinping, who would be visiting Mamallapuram for
the second edition of the informal summit between
India and China.
• The summit will be held from October 11-October 12.
Note:
• Mamallapuram is also known as Seven Pagodas or
Mahabalipuram. Marco Polo and other Europeans
named it Seven Pagodas
September
1. UN Climate Change Summit 2020 – Glasgow, UK
• The COP26 meeting, under the auspices of the UN,
will take place in Glasgow in December 2020.
2. UN Climate Action Summit 2019 – New York
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi represented India at
the UN Climate Action Summit 2019 which was held
on 23 September in New York.
• Sweden's 16-year-old environmental activist Greta
Thunberg shook world leaders with her speech at the
United Nations, accusing world leaders of failing to
take action on climate change.
3. International Conference on Sindh held in London – The World
Sindhi Congress (WSC) hosted a 31st international conference
on Sindh in London.
4. 7th World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) 2019 held in
Mumbai – 7th World Hindu Economic Forum (WHEF) 2019
held in Mumbai, Maharashtra. The theme of (WHEF) 2019
“Prosperous Society: Stronger Society”.
5. International conference ‘ANGAN’ organized in New Delhi -
International conference ANGAN (Augmenting Nature by
Green Affordable New-habitat) for Energy Efficiency in the
Building Sector is being organized by the Bureau of Energy
Efficiency in New Delhi.
6. 24th World Energy Congress commence in Abu Dhabi, UAE.
• The theme of this World Energy Congress is “Energy
for Prosperity”.
• It was held under the patronage of Sheikh Khalifa bin
Zayed Al Nahyan, President of UAE.
46
Note: The summit was joined by over 100 organisations from
Nepal, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan, and India.
3. Kochi to host national health informatics meet in 2020 – The
20th National Health Informatics conference will be held in
Kochi on February 7 and 8 next year.
• The conference will be jointly organised by the Health
Informatics and Information Management Association
(HIIMA), Kerala, and the Health Records Association of
India (HERAI).
• The theme of the conference – Medrecon 2020 – is
‘Value of Data in Health Care Ecosystem’.
4. India Economic Summit was held in New Delhi.
Note:
• The World Economic Forum is organizing India
Economic Summit on October 3 – 4, 2019 in New
Delhi.
• It is hosted in collaboration with CII – Confederation
of Indian Industry.
7. The 1st conference on military medicine for the Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation (SCO) member states held in Delhi.
8. The 9th India-China Financial dialogue was held in New Delhi.
9. First India-Caribbean Summit – 2019 was held in New York.
Note:
• Prime Minister Modi met the leaders of the Caribbean
Community on 25th September, 2019, in New York.
• At the meeting, PM Modi announced 14 million USD
grant for community development projects in the
region. He also extended 150 million USD of line of
credit for renewable energy, solar and climate change
related projects.
10. SAARC Council of Ministers meeting – The SAARC Council of
Ministers meeting was held on New York on 26th September
2019.
• The 2020 SAARC Summit will take place in Islamabad,
Pakistan.
• The last and the 18th SAARC summit was held in
Kathmandu, Nepal.
About SAARC
• SAARC is South Asian Association for Regional
Cooperation.
• The 8 member nations of the grouping are - Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Sri Lanka and
Pakistan.
• Headquarters of SAARC is in Kathmandu, Nepal.
11. Fourth Indian Ocean Conference 2019 held in Male – Fourth
Indian Ocean Conference 2019 was recently held in Male,
capital of Maldives.
 www.gradeup.co
• The two-day conference was held from 3-4
September 2019.
• Indian External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar was one
of the speakers at Indian Ocean Conference 2019
event.
12. India’s first-ever helicopter summit held in Dehradun – Union
Ministry of Civil Aviation organised country’s first ever
helicopter summit at Sahastradhara helidrome in Dehradun,
capital of Uttarakhand. The summit was based on theme of
expanding connectivity through helicopters.
13. Union Minister of Defence, Rajnath Singh co-chaired the
Japan–India Defence Ministerial Meeting with Defence
Minister of Japan Takeshi lwaya in Tokyo, Japan.
14. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh addresses 8th Seoul Defense
Defence Dialogue 2019 – Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
delivered a keynote address at ‘Seoul Defence Dialogue 2019’
during his visit to South Korea.
• The theme of Defence Dialogue was- ‘Building Peace
Together: Challenges and Vision’. Defence Minister is
on a 3-day visit to Seoul.
15. India hosts 6th India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue –
India is hosting 6th India-China Strategic Economic Dialogue
(SED) in New Delhi.
• The three-day Dialogue was held from 7-9 September
2019.
• It was chaired by Vice Chairman of NITI Aayog Rajiv
Kumar and Chinese side will led by chairman, National
Development and Reforms Commission (NDRC).
16. 20th India-Russia Summit talks conclude in Vladivostok
• The 20th India-Russia annual summit held in
Vladivostok, Russia.
• During the summit, India and Russia have signed 15
agreements in several areas in the presence of Prime
Minister Narendra Modi and President Putin.
17. For the first time, India is hosting COP14 of UNCCD
• For the first time, India is hosting the Conference of
Parties (COP14) to the United Nations Convention to
combat desertification (UNCCD).
• The 14th session of the Conference of Parties (COP) of
UNCCD began at the India Mart and Expo, in Greater
Noida.
Books & Author
1. Former Australian cricket umpire Simon Taufel released his
book titled Finding The Gaps.
2. Note: Simon Taufel (retired in 2012) is a five-time ICC Umpire
of the Year (between 2004 and 2008) and part of ICC’s Elite
Panel of Umpires.The Australian stood in his first One-Day
International in 1999, and his first Test in 2000.
47
• The conference began on September 2 and will end
on September 13, 2019.
Note:
• The current Union Minister of Environment, Forest and
Climate Change is Prakash Javadekar.
18. 4th General Assembly of A-WEB held at Bengaluru
• The Election Commission of India hosted the 4th
General Assembly of Association of World Election
Bodies (A-WEB) at Bengaluru on 3rd September 2019.
• India will take over as A-WEB’s Chair for the 2019-21
term.
19. 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee for South-East
Asia held in New Delhi - Union Minister of Health and Family
Welfare inaugurated the 72nd Session of the WHO Regional
Committee for South-East Asia held in New Delhi.
• The committee is the highest decision making and
governing body of WHO in the region.
• Dr Harsh Vardhan was unanimously elected as Chair
of the 72nd Session of the WHO Regional Committee
for South-East Asia.
20. National Conference on ‘India-Africa Partnership in a
Changing Global Order: Priorities, Prospects and Challenges’
held in New Delhi.
• It was organized by Indian Council of World Affairs
(ICWA).
21. India-New Development Bank Workshop held in New Delhi –
A joint India- New Development Bank workshop was held in
New Delhi. The workshop was organized to enhance the NDB’s
engagement with the India’s private and public sector.
Note:
• The NDB is the first Multilateral Development Bank
established by developing countries and emerging
economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.
22. Japan–India Defence Ministerial Meeting held in Tokyo, Japan
– Defence Minister Rajnath Singh co-chaired the Japan–India
Defence Ministerial Meeting held in Tokyo, Japan.
• Japan’s delegation was represented by Defence Minister
of Japan Mr Takeshi lwaya.
3. A book titled “Hemant Karkare -A Daughter’s Memoir” by his
daughter Jui Karkare Navare.
4. Note: The book portrays former Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS)
chief Hemant Karkare’s life as a father to Jui Karkare Navare.
The book has been published by The Write Place. 18 security
personnel lost their lives in the 26/11 terror attacks (11th
anniversary).
 www.gradeup.co
5. Mr. ‘Nishank’ also launched three books which are a collection
of stories for Children namely Kumbh, Garam Pahad and Dilli ki
Bulbul (Sindhi edition).
6. Note: Books has been authored by a popular writer of
children’s books and travelogues Dr Anita Bhatnagar Jain (IAS-
1985 batch). The three books are a collection of stories for
children and have brought out environmental issues and topics
like socio-cultural unity& cultural heritage in a very simple and
interesting manner.
7. English author Tony Joseph has won the 12th ‘Shakti Bhatt
First Book Prize’ for his book, --- Early Indians: The Story of Our
Ancestors and Where We Came From.
Note: The book tells the tale of the people of South Asia
through research in six disciplines, including path-breaking
new DNA evidence. The award was instituted in 2008 and it
carries a cash prize of Rs 2 lakh along with a trophy. Last year,
the prize was awarded to Sujatha Gidla for her Ants Among
Elephants: An Untouchable Family And The Making Of Modern
India.
8. Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu has released the
monograph, the Musical Excellence of Mridangam in Chennai.
Note: The book was authored by mridangam maestro and
Padma Vibhushan awardee Umayalpuram K. Sivaraman
and former scientists T. Ramasami (former Secretary of
the Department of Science and Technology) and M.D.
Naresh.
9. CJI Ranjan Gogoi releases Assamese version of book -- 'Courts
of India: Past to Present'.
Note: Chief Justice of India Ranjan Gogoi has inaugurated
the Assamese version of the book Courts of India: Past to
Present' in Guwahati. The book has captured the historical
developments which took place in the history of the
nation's courts.
10. Writer and columnist, Harish Bhat’s new novel was launched
in Mumbai -- An Extreme Love of Coffee.
Note: The novel is published by Penguin Random House
India with the collaboration of Tata Starbucks. This is his
third book but the first fiction and it took Bhat about 8
months to complete. The book is a story about two young
people, Rahul, and Neha who follow their passion for
coffee.
11. Jal Shakti Minister releases short documentary film --
SHIKHAR SE PUKAR.
12. ‘Hemant Karkare: A Daughters Memoir’, book written by -- Jui
Karkare Navare.
13. Former cricket umpire and author of ‘Finding The Gaps’ is --
Simon Taufel.
14. Book titled “150 Years of Celebrating the Mahatma the South
African Legacy”, -- written by Fakir Hassen
48
Note: This book released on Mahatma Gandhi’s 150th birth
anniversary.
15. Bill Gates’ Book titled “How to Avoid a Climate Disaster: The
Solutions We Have and the Breakthroughs We Need” will be
released -- June 2020.
Note:
16. Book titled “India in a Warming world: Integrating Climate
Change and Development” will be published by –-Oxford
University Press(OUP).
17. Book titled “Mind Master: Winning Lessons from a Champion’s
Life” - written by Viswanathan Anand.
Note: The book is based on the experience he had in the game
of Chess.
18. Book titled ‘Bridgital Nation’ – written by N Chandrasekaran,
Chairman, Tata Sons and Roopa Purushothaman Eminent
industrialist.
Note: The book presents a powerful vision of the future where
technology and human beings co-exist in a mutually beneficial
ecosystem.
19. “Ten Studies in Kashmir: History and Politics” - written by Kashi
Nath Pandit.
Note: A new book looks at the riveting history of Jammu and
Kashmir from the time of its political and geographic
consolidation to the abrogation of the state’s special status.
20. Book titled “The Tech Whisperer” written by - Jaspreet Bindra
21. Book titled ‘Reset: Regaining India’s Economic Legacy’ -
written by Subramanian Swamy (BJP MP)
22. ‘Professor Ayushman’ a comic book released by Ayush
Ministry in New Delhi
23. Book titled “Being Gandhi” authored by Paro Anand
24. Book titled “The Cousins Thackeray: Uddhav, Raj and the
Shadow of their Senas” written by the journalist Dhaval
Kulkarni
25. Book titled “Savarkar: Echoes from a forgotten past, 1883-
1924″ written by Bengaluru-based historian Vikram Sampath
26. Book titled ‘Fortune Turners: The Quartet That Spun India To
Glory’ written by - Aditya Bhushan and Sachin Bajaj.
Note: The book on India’s 4 spin legends: Bishan Singh Bedi,
Erapalli Prasanna, Bhagwat Chandrashekhar and S.
Venkataraghavan.
27. Book titled ‘A Short History of Indian Railways’ written by
Rajendra B Aklekar
28. Book titled ‘Big Billion Startup’: The Untold Flipkart Story -
written by Mihir Dalal
29. The Book titled ‘Kashmir’s untold story: Declassification’-
author of the book is Delhi- based filmmaker Iqbal Chand
Malhotra and defense analyst Maroof Raza.
30. Book ‘Resurgent India’ – Book authored by former Governor of
Reserve Bank of India, Bimal Jalan
31. The book, titled ‘Sridevi: Girl Woman Superstar’ authored by
screenwriter Satyarth Nayak.
 www.gradeup.co
32. Vice President’s book titled “Listening, Learning & Leading”
released – Home Minister Amit Shah released a Vice President
M Venkaiah Naidu’s book titled “Listening, Learning &
Leading”.
33. PM Modi releases book on former PM Chandra Shekhar – PM
Narendra Modi releases book “Chandra Shekhar – The Last
Icon of Ideological Politics” is written by Deputy Chairman in
the Rajya Sabha, Harivansh and Ravi Dutt Bajpai in New Delhi.
34. Book ‘Who Stole My Job’ authored by Sunil Mishra
35. The coffee table book titled ‘Fire and Fury Corps – Saga of
Valour, Fortitude and Sacrifice’, was released by Northern
Army Commander Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh.
Note: This book showcases the courage and bravery of the Fire
and Fury Warriors and portrays the rich heritage and ethos of
the Indian Army.
36. Book titled ‘Vivekadeepini’ – authored by Adi Shankaracharya
37. Book titled “A Prime Minister to Remember,” – authored by
former Navy Chief Admiral Sushil Kumar
38. Book titled ‘The New Delhi Conspiracy’ – authored by 5. BJP
MP Meenakshi Lekhi
39. Book titled ‘War over Words: Censorship in India, 1930-1960”
authored by Devika Sethi
40. Book titled ‘Whispers of Time’ authored by Dr. Krishna
Saksena
41. Autobiography titled 'Lessons Life Taught Me, Unknowingly' -
autobiography of veteran Bollywood actor Anupam Kher
42. Autobiography titled- ‘My Life, My Mission’ – authobiography
of Yoga guru Baba Ramdev
• The book is co-authored with senior journalist Uday
Mahurkar.
43. Book titled ‘Function of Data Sovereignty: The Pursuit of
Supremacy’ authored by - Vinit Goenka
44. Book titled ‘Cricket World Cup: The Indian Challenge” –
authored by - Ashis Ray
45. Book titled - Politics of Jugaad: The Coalition Handbook -
Journalist Saba Naqvi
46. Book titled 'Darkness to light' - Former American professional
basketball player, Lamar Odom.
47. Book titled "No Presents Please’ is authored by - Jayant Kaikini
48. Book titled “Game Changer” autobiography of - Shahid Afridi
(Pakistan’s former Cricket team captain). The book is co-
authored by Afridi and journalist Wajahat S Khan.
49. Book titled “Indian Fiscal Federalism” authored by - Dr. Y. V.
Reddy, former Governor of RBI and Chairman of the 14th
Obituaries
December
1. Shelley Morrison: Former Hollywood actress passed away at
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles.
Note: Morrison played Rosario Salazar, a maid from El
Salvador, in the original run of 'Will & Grace' from 1999 to
49
Finance Commission of India (The Chairman of 15th Finance
Commission of India, N.K. Singh launched the book)
50. Book titled ‘Saffron Swords’ authored by - Manoshi Sinha
Rawal
51. Book titled “The Third Pillar - How Markets and the State leave
the Community Behind” authored by –Raghuram Rajan
(Former Governor of RBI)
52. Book titled ‘Every Vote Counts: The Story of India's Elections’
authored by - former Chief Election Commissioner Navin
Chawla. Former Vice-President Hamid Ansari launched the
book.
53. Book titled “India Positive” authored by - Chetan Bhagat
54. Book titled ‘Simplicity & Wisdom’ authored by - Mr. Dinesh
Shahra
55. Book titled ‘ Khooni Vaisakhi’ authored by -- Nanak Singh
(Jallianwala Bagh survivor)
Note: A poem on the Jallianwala Bagh massacre, ‘Khooni
Vaisakhi’, by Punjabi writer Nanak Singh has now been
translated into English.
• It was banned by the British in 1920. Singh was
present at Jallianwala Bagh on April 13, 1919, and was
22 years old at the time.
• A book containing English translation of the 100-year-
old classic Punjabi poem about Jallianwala Bagh
massacre, ‘Khooni Vaisakhi’ has been released in Abu
Dhabi.
• India’s Ambassador to the UAE Navdeep Singh Suri
commended the launch of the book.
• It will be published by Harper Collins India in March to
mark the centenary of the Jallianwala Bagh.
56. Book titled “Quality, Accreditation & Ranking” authored by -
Dr. H Chaturvedi
57. Book titled ‘Mann Ki Baat – A Social Revolution on Radio’
58. Arun Jaitley releases book titled ‘Mann Ki Baat – A Social
Revolution on Radio’ authored by - BlueKraft Digital
Foundation
59. Book titled ‘Moving On, Moving Forward: A year in Office’ -
Vice President M. Venkaiah Naidu
60. Book titled “Undaunted: Saving the Idea of India” authored by
- P Chidambaram (former Finance Minister)
61. Book titled 'We are Displaced' authored by - Malala Yousafzai
62. A book titled ‘Changing India’ written by – Former PM
Manmohan Singh
2006, becoming part of a cast that won a Screen Actors Guild
award for best ensemble in a comedy series.
2. Former England fast bowler Bob Willis passed away after a
short illness.
 www.gradeup.co
Note: Bob Willis took 325 wickets in 90 Tests and 80 wickets in
64 ODIs in his career. He also captained England in 18 Tests
and 29 ODIs.
3. DC Fontana: The first female writer for 'Star Trek' passed
away.
Note: The writer penned numerous stories for the original Star
Trek' TV series and developed one of its signature characters,
November
1. Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister & Bharatiya Janata
Party (BJP) leader Kailash Joshi passed away.
Note: Mr. Joshi was called as the ‘saint of politics’, served as
the Madhya Pradesh 9th chief minister (from June 1977 to
January 1978). He was MLA for eight terms and served as a
member of both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha.
2. Tamil television and film actor Bala Singh passed away in a
private hospital in Chennai.
Note: Bala Singh was known for playing villainous roles with
much aplomb. He played notable characters in Kamal Haasan's
Indian, Ullaasam, Simmarasi, Dheena, Virumaandi, Saamy,
Kannathil Muthamittal, Pudhupettai and many more films.
Bala was last seen in the serial Aathira as Rajarajan in the year
2016
3. Cartoonist Sudhir Dar passed away due to cardiac arrest in
Noida.
Note: Sudhir Dar began his career with The Statesman (in
1961), after which he moved to the Hindustan Times. Dar’s
cartoons were often political in nature, often taking direct
shots at the bureaucracy and the general corruption in Indian
politics
4. Former Indian Navy Chief Admiral Sushil Kumar passed away
in New Delhi.
Note: Sushil Kumar was Navy Chief from 1998-2001. He
authored a book named "A Prime Minister to Remember-
Memories of a Military Chief" which highlighted the key
defence-related decisions taken by late former Prime Minister
of India Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Kumar had credited Vajpayee for
turning the strategic tactical loss into a massive victory
5. Australian writer and broadcaster Clive James passed away at
home in Cambridge.
Note: Clive James moved to England in 1961 and rose to
prominence as a literary critic and TV columnist. He went on to
deliver wry commentary on international programming in such
shows as Clive James On Television.
6. Puducherry Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi has inaugurated
the 47th All India Police Science Congress (AIPSC) in Lucknow.
Note: Union Home Minister Amit Shah will be the chief guest
at the valedictory function tomorrow evening. During 6
sessions of the event, police officers, academicians,
50
Spock. She wrote 1967's 'Journey to Babel', which introduced
Spock's father Sarek and mother, Amanda.
4. Braj Bihari Kumar: Chairman of Indian Council of Social Science
Research (ICSSR) passed away.
Note: He was appointed as the chairman of the ICSSR in May
2017.
5. The inventor of Universal Product Code (UPC)/Barcode George
Joseph Laurer passed away.
researchers, judicial and scientific experts will present their
papers.
7. Lokpal Chairman Justice (retired) Pinaki Chandra Ghose has
launched the new logo and motto for the apex anti-corruption
ombudsman Ma Gridhah Kasyasvidhanam.
Note: Earlier, an open competition was conducted, inviting
entries for the logo and the motto. A total of 2,236 entries for
the logo and 4,705 entries for the motto were received. A logo
designed by Prashant Mishra, a resident of Prayagraj in Uttar
Pradesh, was finally selected.
8. world-renowned rock climber Brad Gobright fell to his death
while climbing a sheer rock face in northern Mexico.
Note: Witnesses said the men had finished climbing the 900-
meter (2,300-foot) summit and were rappelling back down
when the accident occurred. US national Gobright (31-years)
and fellow American Aidan Jacobson (26-years) were climbing
a route known as the Shining Path in the northern state of
Nuevo Leon.
9. Japan Former Prime Minister Yasuhiro Nakasone passed away.
Note: Nakasone also broke an unwritten rule on limiting the
annual defence budget to 1% of Gross National Product. In
1983, he became the first Japanese Premier to officially visit
South Korea, mending fences with a country that Japan had
brutally colonized from 1910 to 1945.
10. Former judge of the Supreme Court and former Lokayukta of
Karnataka Venkatachala passed away.
Note: Venkatachala was known for bringing to light the
existence of Karnataka’s autonomous anti-corruption wing as
the Lokayukta by conducting raids on public servants and
disclosing their names and particulars of seized assets. He was
Lokayukta from July 3, 2001, to July 2, 2006.
11. Geetanjali Ramakrishna: Vetrean Telugu actress passed away
Note: She had an illustrious career spanning nearly six decades
by doing movies not just in Telugu, but also in other South
Indian languages. Some of her popular works include
Seetharama Kalyanam, Deivathin Deivam, Swapnangal,
Parasmani, Gudachari 116 and Bobbili Yuddham.
12. Gurudas Dasgupta: Veteran communist leader and trade
unionist passed away.
Note: Dasgupta became a member of the Rajya Sabha in 1985.
He was also elected to the Lok Sabha from Panskura and
 www.gradeup.co
Ghatal constituencies of West Bengal in 2004 and 2009
respectively.
13. Krishnan Kumar Modi: Noted industrialist & Chairman of Modi
Enterprises passed away.
Note: Mr. Modi served as the chairman of Modi Enterprises,
which includes companies like Godfrey Phillips, Indofil
Industries and Modicare. He was the eldest son of late Rai
Bahadur Gujarmal Modi (founder of the city of Modi Nagar).
14. Babasaheb Dhabekar: Senior Congress party leader & former
Maharashtra minister passed away in Mumbai
Note: Mr. Dhabekar was water resources minister when the
Shiv Sena-BJP alliance government came to power for the first
time in the 1990s.
15. TN Seshan: Former Chief Election Commissioner (CEC)
Note: Mr Seshan (IAS Officer: 1955 batch) was appointed CEC
on 12th December 1990 during the P V Narasimha Rao led
Congress government. He is widely credited for bringing in
electoral reforms that changed the face of Indian elections.
16. Ramakant Gundecha: Padma Shri-awardee Dhrupad vocalist
passed away.
Note: He was awarded the Padma Shri for 2012 in the field of
Art – Indian Classical Music – Vocal along with his brother
Umakant Gundecha. Dhrupad is a genre in Hindustani classical
music from the Indian subcontinent and is related to the South
Indian Carnatic tradition.
17. Sahitya Akademi awardee writer Nabaneeta Dev Sen passed
away.
October
1. Ramu, Satyapriya Mohathero: The second highest
Buddhist leader of Bangladesh and head of Sima Bihar of
Ramu, Satyapriya Mohathero passed away in Dhaka,
Bangladesh.
2. Diahann Carroll: American actress, singer, and model.
3. Kadri Gopalnath: Legendary saxophonist and the Padma
Shri awardee. The Carnatic music maestro won multiple
awards in his illustrious career, including the Kendra
Sangeetha Nataka Academy Award and Karnataka
Kalashree
4. Sara Danius: She was the first female head of Nobel’s
Literature Award Body. She also served as the first female
permanent secretary of the Swedish Academy between
2015 and 2018.
5. Alexei Leonov: He was the legendary Soviet cosmonaut
who became the first human to walk in space 54 years
ago.
6. Renowned painter Kalidas Karmakar passes away in
Dhaka.
51
Note: She was also the recipient of the Padma Shri in 2000.
She is the founder and president of the West Bengal Women
Writers’ Association.
18. Kailash Joshi: Former Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister.
Note: He was MLA for eight terms and also served as a
member of both the Rajya Sabha and the Lok Sabha
19. Vashishth Narayan Singh: Famous Indian mathematician
passed away.
Note: The 77-year old had been suffering from Schizophrenia
for 40 years. Vashishth Narayan Singh was famous for his
extraordinary skills of calculation, challenged Einstein's theory
of relativity.
20. Kshiti Goswami: former West Bengal Minister & The General
Secretary of the Revolutionary Socialist Party (RSP).
Note: Goswami was PWD Minister in Jyoti Basu and
Buddhadev Bhattacharjee’s cabinet in the Left Front
Government in the State.
21. Veteran actor Shaukat Kaifi passed away.
Note: Kaifi’s husband was the celebrated Urdu poet and film
lyricist, Kaifi Azmi. Kaifi and Shaukat were leaders of the Indian
People’s Theatre Association (IPTA) and the Progressive
Writers Association (IWA).
22. Famous Indian mathematician Vashishth Narayan Singh
passed away.
Note: Vashishth Narayan Singh was famous for his
extraordinary skills of calculation, challenged Einstein's theory
of relativity.
7. Alicia Alonso: Cuban ballet dancer considered one of the
greatest 20th Century ballerinas. In 1948, she founded the
Alicia Alonso Ballet Company in Cuba’s capital.
8. Mark Hurd: Former Co-Chief executive Officer (CEO) of
Oracle
9. Writer and philosopher K.B. Siddaiah passed away.
Note: He was one of the founder members of Dalitha
Sangharsha Samithi (DSS) during the ’80s and co-authored
many songs to inspire the movement.
10. Dadu Chougule: wrestler and recipient of Major
Dhyanchand award passed away.
Note:
➢ In 1973, Chougule had won the titles ‘Rustum-e-
Hind’ and ‘Mahan Bharat Kesari’ in national-level
tournaments.
11. Marieke Vervoort: Belgian Paralympic athlete has ended
her life at the age of 40 through euthanasia.
12. Dilip Parikh: Former Gujarat Chief Minister (13th) passed
away. He was an industrialist and also served as president
of the Gujarat Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
www.gradeup.co
13. India’s oldest Yoga teacher Nanammal passed away at 99
years.
Note:
• She had bagged 150 awards, 6 national-level gold
medals and Yoga Ratna award of the Government
of Karnataka in 2014.
• She was also conferred the Padma Shri in January
2019 for her efforts to make people lead a
healthy life.
September
14. First female UN refugee chief passed away-- Sadako
Ogata
15. John Witherspoon passed away -- Actor and comedian
Note:
• He was best known best known for the hit Friday
franchise and The Wayan Brothers.
16. N. Venkatachala: Former judge of the Supreme Court and
former Lokayukta of Karnataka

1. Viju Khote - Famous Bollywood actor Viju Khote passed away
at the age of 77 on 30th September.
• He is known for his 'Kalia' role in the film 'Sholay'.
2. Jacques Chirac - Former President Jacques Chirac who
dominated French politics for decades in roles ranging from
mayor of Paris to the second-longest serving leader of the
nation passed away on 26th September. He was 86.
3. Bhagat Ram Vats – A former senior correspondent (journalist)
of the country's leading news agency 'Press Trust of India',
passed away.
• He had covered the first Lok Sabha election of the
country in April 1952.
• He had also written a book called 'Foreign Intrigue
Against India'.
4. Madhav Apte – Former Indian cricketer
5. KPS Menon (junior) - Former Foreign Secretary
6. Boman Rashid Kohinoor – co-owner of Mumbai's iconic eatery
Britannia & Co.
7. S.K. Padmadevi - Veteran actor and multi-faceted artiste
8. Shyam Ramsay – Bollywood’s famous horror film producer
9. Sanjib Kumar Datta – Film editor
10. Sivaraman Cheriyanad - renowned writer of Kerala
11. B.N. Yugandhar - Former bureaucrat and Secretary to the
PMO
Note: B.N. Yugandhar was the father of Microsoft’s present
Chief Executive Officer Satya Nadella.
12. Veeru Krishnan - Actor, Kathak Dancer
13. Ram Jethmalani - One of India’s finest lawyers and a former
union minister has passed away.
• Mr. Jethmalani had also served as the chairman of the
Bar Council of India.
14. Abdul Qadir - Pakistan's master leg-spinner, passes away
• Abdul Qadir played cricket for Pakistan for 16 years
and took 236 wickets in 67 Test matches and 132
wickets in 104 ODIs.
• He was known as 'Dancing Bowler' in the cricket
world due to his interesting bowling action.
15. Sukhdev Singh Libra - Veteran congress leader and former MP.
• He was the member of the 14th and 15th Lok Sabha.
16. Robert Mugabe - Zimbabwe’s former President Robert
Mugabe passed away.
• He was the country’s first post-independence leader
and also considered as Zimbabwe’s founding father.
17. Kiran Nagarkar - Sahitya Akademi Award-winning writer
• He began his career as an educationist, a journalist
and then later as a screenplay writer in the
advertising industry.
• His novel “Cuckold” (1997) won him the 2001 Sahitya
Akademi award.

National Appointments

LIST OF CABINET MINISTERS & CONSTITUENCY 2019

Portfolio (Department) Minister Name Constituency

Prime Minister and Ministry of Personnel, Public
Grievances and Pensions; Department of Atomic
Energy; Department of Space; and All-important Narendra Modi Varanasi, Uttar Pradesh
policy issues; and All other portfolios not allocated
to any Minister.
Ministry of Home Affairs Amit Shah Gandhinagar, Gujarat
Ministry of Defence Rajnath Singh Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh
Minister of External Affairs Subrahmanyam Jaishankar -

52
www.gradeup.co
Minister of Finance; and Minister of Corporate
Nirmala Sitharaman Karnataka, Rajya Sabha
Affairs
Minister of Road Transport and Highways; and
Nitin Jairam Gadkari Nagpur, Maharashtra
Minister of Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises.
Minister of Chemicals and Fertilizers D.V. Sadananda Gowda Bangalore North, Karnataka
Minister of Health and Family Welfare; Minister of
Science and Technology; and Minister of Earth Dr. Harsh Vardhan Chandni Chowk, Delhi
Sciences
Minister of Consumer Affairs, Food and Public
Ramvilas Paswan --
Distribution
Minister of Law and Justice; Minister of
Communications; and Minister of Electronics and Ravi Shankar Prasad Patna Sahib, Bihar
Information Technology
Ministry of Minority Affairs Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi Jharkhand, Rajya Sabha
Minister of Parliamentary Affairs; Minister of Coal;
Prahlad Joshi Dharwad, Karnataka
and Minister of Mines
Minister of Skill Development and
Mahendra Nath Pandey Chandauli. Uttar Pradesh
Entrepreneurship
Ministry of Heavy Industries and Public
Prakash Javadekar Maharashtra, Rajya Sabha
Enterprises
Minister of Food Processing Industries Harsimrat Kaur Badal Bathinda, Punjab
Minister of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare;
Minister of Rural Development; and Minister of Narendra Singh Tomar Morena, Madhya Pradesh
Panchayati Raj.
Ministry of Tribal Affairs Arjun Munda Khunti, Jharkhand
Minister of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and
Giriraj Singh Begusarai, Bihar
Fisheries
Minister of Women and Child Development; and
Smriti Zubin Irani Amethi, Uttar Pradesh
Minister of Textiles
Minister of Human Resource Development Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ Haridwar, Uttarakhand
Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment Thaawar Chand Gehlot Madhya Pradesh, Rajya Sabha
Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate
Change; and Minister of Information and Prakash Javadekar Maharashtra, Rajya Sabha
Broadcasting
Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas; and
Dharmendra Pradhan Madhya Pradesh, Rajya Sabha
Minister of Steel
Minister of Railways; and Minister of Commerce
Piyush Goyal Maharashtra, Rajya Sabha
and Industry
Minister of Jal Shakti Gajendra Shekhawat Jodhpur, Rajasthan

New Appointments

December

1. The News Broadcasters Federation (NBF) has elected editor- Note: The country’s largest association of over 78 news
in-chief of Republic TV as the President of its governing board - channels, The body of 78 news channels in 14 languages,
- Arnab Goswami. representing broadcasters from 25 states.

53
 www.gradeup.co
2. The National Stock Exchange of India Ltd (NSE) new chairman-
- Girish Chandra Chaturvedi.
Note: The appointment was approved by Securities and
Exchange Board of India (Sebi). Currently, he is on the board
of ICICI Bank and the member of the government appointed
board of Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services Ltd
(IL&FS).
November
1. New Prime minister of Sri Lanka -- Mahinda Rajapaksa.
Note: Mr. Rajapaksa was sworn in by President Gotabaya
Rajapksa (his younger brother). Mr Mahinda Rajapaksa served
as two-term President from 2005 to 2015 and was barred from
contesting Presidential elections because of the two-term
limit.
2. Chairman of the Zee Entertainment Enterprises' board has
resigned -- Subhash Chandra.
Note: Mr. Chandra will continue as a non-executive director,
which he founded in 1992. Subhash Chandra resigns to comply
with a rule mandating that Chairman can’t be related to MD &
CEO. Zee board appoints six independent directors; all the
appointments will have to be approved by the shareholders.
3. The Chief minister (18th) of Maharashtra state -- Uddhav
Thackeray.
Note: Mr. Thackeray is the third Shiv Sena leader to hold the
post after Manohar Joshi (1995–1999) and Narayan Rane (1
Feb- 17 Oct1999).
4. Soma Roy Burman took charge as the new Controller General
of Accounts (CGA).
Note: Soma Roy Burman (1986-batch Indian Civil Accounts
Service officer) is the 24th CGA and the 7th woman to hold this
coveted position. CGA works under the Ministry of Finance,
Government of India.
5. H R Khan has been appointed as the first chairman of the
steering committee of the Code for Responsible Lending (CRL)
in micro-credit.
Note: The CRL is a self-regulatory step for the micro-credit
industry making diverse entities like banks, NBFC-MFIs and
NBFCs adhere to standards of customer protection.
6. Speaker of Maharashtra Legislative Assembly --. Nana Patole.
Note: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) candidate Kisan Kathore
withdrew his nomination. Maharashtra BJP legislature party
leader Devendra Fadnavis was named Leader of Opposition in
the state Assembly.
7. Ursula von der Leyen took charge as the first female President
of the European Commission (EC).
Note: Von der Leyen served in the federal government of
Germany (from 2005 to 2019) as the longest-serving Ms Leyen
invited Prime Minister Modi to visit Brussels for the next India-
EU Summit.
54
3. Senior security advisor in the Union Home Ministry – K Vijay
Kumar.
Note: IPS officer K Vijay Kumar will “advise the ministry on
security-related matters of Union Territory of J&K and Left-
Wing Extremism (LWE) affected States.
member of Angela Merkel's cabinet.
8. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) new President --
Masatsugu Asakawa.
Note: Currently, he is the Special Advisor to Japan’s Prime
Minister and Minister of Finance. Masatsugu Asakawa will
succeed Takehiko Nakao. Mr. Asakawa will assume office as
ADB’s 10th President on 17th January 2020.
9. India’s first woman pilot of the Indian Navy -- Sub Lieutenant
Shivangi.
Note: Shivangi was inducted into the Indian Navy under the
Short Service Commission Pilot entry scheme. She was
commissioned into the Navy in June 2018.
10. Director-General of Ordnance Factories (DGOF) and chairman
of the Ordnance Factory Board (OFB) -- Shri Hari Mohan.
Note: He has made significant contributions in improving the
production of Armoured Fighting Vehicles like Ajeya Tanks,
MBT Arjun, Bridge Layer and Trawls Tanks.
11. Indian American business executive promoted as Alphabet Inc.
CEO -- Sundar Pichai
Note: Sundar Pichai will replace Larry Page. Earlier, Google co-
founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin have announced that they
are stepping down from the leadership role of the parent
company Alphabet.
12. Pritivirajsing Roopun has been elected as new President of
Mauritius by parliament.
Note: He was the former arts and culture minister of
Mauritius. The motion for his election as new President was
presented by Prime Minister, Home Affairs and External
Communications, Minister of Defence, Minister for Rodrigues,
Outer Islands and Territorial Integrity.
13. New Ambassador of India to the Republic of Costa Rica --
Upender Singh Rawat.
Note: Presently Mr Rawat is Ambassador of India to the
Republic of Panama. Shri Anjani Kumar (IFS:2003) has been
appointed as the next Ambassador of India to the Republic of
Mali.
14. The first Lieutenant Governor of Ladakh UT -- Radha Krishna
Mathur.
15. The first Lieutenant Governor of J&K - Girish Chandra Murmu.
16. Argentina’s new President: Alberto Fernandez.
 www.gradeup.co
Note: Fernandez, a 60-year-old law professor, got 47.36 per
cent votes crossing the threshold for outright victory.
17. Prime Minister of Lebanon Saad Hariri has resigned from the
portfolio amid anti-government protests.
Note: He resigned bowing to one of the central demands of
anti-government demonstrators shortly after baton-wielding
Hezbollah supporters rampaged through the main protest
camp in Beirut.
18. The Government of India has appointment of new Chief
Justices to the High Courts.
Note:
➢ Chief Justice of the Madras High Court -- Justice
Amreshwar Pratap Sahi
➢ Chief Justice of the Madhya Pradesh High Court --
Justice AK Mittal
➢ Chief Justice of the Patna High Court ---- Justice
Sanjay Karol.
➢ The Chief Justice of Meghalaya High Court -- Justice
Muhammad Raffiq.
➢ Chief Justice of Jharkhand High Court -- Justice Dr
Ravi Ranjan.
➢ Chief Justice of Tripura High Court -- Justice Akil
Abdulhamid Kureshi
19. The new Ambassador to UAE -- Pavan Kapoor.
20. chairman of the Land Ports Authority of India (LPAI) -- Aditya
Mishra.
21. Speaker of Haryana Assembly -- Gian Chand Gupta.
22. Governor of Mizoram - P.S Sreedharan Pillai.
Note: P.S Sreedharan Pillai replaced Governor of Assam
Jagdish Mukhi (additional charge- Mizoram).
23. The two-day ‘BIMSTEC Conclave’ held in Visakhapatnam.
Note: Union Minister of State for Shipping Mansukh L.
Mandaviya has inaugurated the two-day BIMSTEC (Bay of
Bengal initiative multi-sector technical and economic
cooperation) Conclave at Visakhapatnam.
24. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated two-day mega
global investors meet ‘Rising Himachal 2019’ at Dharamshala.
Note: The event has been graced by the presence of top heads
of Indian industry and business besides foreign delegations and
Union minister and senior government officials.
25. Re-elected President of UAE -- Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al
Nahyan.
Note: The UAE's Supreme Council of the Union has re-elected
His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan as its
President for a fourth five-year term.
26. Prime Minister of Mauritius -- Pravind Jugnauth.
27. Manmohan Singh has been nominated to the parliamentary
standing committee on finance.
October
55
Note: In August 2019, Manmohan Singh was elected
unopposed to the Rajya Sabha from Rajasthan.
28. Additional charge of the Ministry of Heavy Industries and
Public Enterprises --- Minister Prakash Javadekar.
Note: President Ram Nath Kovind has accepted the resignation
of the Union Council of Ministers Arvind Ganpat Sawant (Shiv
Sena MP).
29. Suranga Bawadi in Bijapur (Karnataka) has been selected as
the World Monument Watch List for 2020.
Note: Suranga Bawadi was selected under the category of
“Ancient Water System of the Deccan Plateau” along with 24
monuments across the world. It was built in the 16th century
of Adil Shahi-I in Vijayapura.
30. The new Chairman and Managing Director of India Tourism
Development Corporation (ITDC) - G Kamala Vardhana Rao.
Note: He has also served as the Secretary of Kerala Tourism in
2014-15.
31. The new Chairman of Unilever -- Nils Andersen.
Note: Nil Andersen replaced Marijn Dekkers. Unilever is a
British-Dutch transnational consumer goods company co-
headquartered in London, United Kingdom, and Rotterdam,
Netherlands.
32. First woman Chief Secretary of Andhra Pradesh -- Nilam
Sawhney.
Note: She will replace Neerabh Kumar, who has been holding
additional charge as the CS, following the sudden transfer of LV
Subramanyam, a week ago.
33. Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde sworn in as the 47th Chief Justice
of India.
Note: Justice SA Bobde succeeds Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi.
34. The new President of Sri Lanka -- Gotabaya Rajapakasa.
Note: Gotabaya is the younger brother of former President
Mahinda Rajapksa (now Prime minister) and served as defence
secretary during the end of LTTE war.
35. President of Gymnastics Federation of India -- Sudhir Mital.
36. FIFA’s Chief of global football development - Arsene Wenger.
37. Bangladesh High Commissioner to India -- Mohammad Imran.
Note: Currently, he is Bangladesh’s Ambassador to the United
Arab Emirates.
38. Next ambassador of India to the Republic of Mali - Anjani
Kumar.
39. First Indian to be elected to the position of General Vice
President (GVP), International Organisation Development
Association (IODA) -- Dr Vinaya Shetty
40. MD and Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of IndusInd Bank --
Suman Kathpalia
41. Dhanlaxmi Bank’s managing director (MD) and chief executive
officer (CEO) T. Latha has resigned.
 www.gradeup.co
1. Surjit Bhalla: The executive director of the International
Monetary Fund for a period of three years.
2. Amrit Lugun: Ambassador of India to Greece.
3. Muktesh Kumar Pardeshi: High Commissioner of India to Niue.
4. Sushil Chandra: MD & CEO of Oil India Limited.
5. J. P. S. Chawla: the new Controller General of Accounts (CGA).
He will replace Girraj Prasad Gupta.
6. Anup Kumar Singh: Director-General of NSG.
7. Pankaj Kumar: CEO of UIDAI (Unique Identification Authority
of India)
8. Sourav Ganguly: New BCCI President
9. Rajnish Kumar (SBI chairman): new chairman of IBA.
10. Manohar Lal Khattar sworn in as CM of Haryana for a second
term.
11. Justice Sharad Arvind Bobde: 47th Chief Justice of India.
12. G C Murmu: Lt Governors of J&K
13. R K Mathur: Lt Governors of Ladakh.
Note: Satya Pal Malik has been transferred and appointed
as Governor of Goa, succeeding Mridula Sinha
14. P S Sreedharan Pillai: the 15th governor of Mizoram
succeeding Jagdish Mukhi.
18. New Chief of Indian Air Force (IAF) - Rakesh Kumar Bhadauria.
He is the 26th Chief of the Air Force.
• He succeeds Air Chief Marshal BS Dhanoa.
19. President Ram Nath Kovind appointed Chief Justices to 7 high
courts –
• New Chief Justice of Himachal Pradesh High Court -
Lingappa Narayana Swamy
• New Chief Justice of Punjab and Haryana High Court -
Ravi Shankar Jha
• New Chief Justice of Rajasthan High Court - Indrajit
Mohanty
September
1. Four new judges appointed as judge in the Supreme Court -
Justice Krishna Murari, Justice S Ravindra Bhat, Justice V
Ramasubramanian and Justice Hrishikesh appointed as judge in
the Supreme Court.
• With this, the number of judges in the court has
increased to 34.
2. Chairman of Chiefs of Staff Committee – Army Chief Gen.
Bipin Rawat
3. New chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulations – Madhukar
Kamat
4. First woman Lieutenant Colonel from Arunachal Pradesh –
Army officer Ponung Doming became the first woman officer
from Arunachal Pradesh state to be elevated to the rank of
Lieutenant Colonel in the Indian Army.
5. Visa appoints PV Sindhu as brand ambassador - Payment
technology company Visa announced that it has signed up
56
• New Chief Justice of Andhra Pradesh High Court - J.K.
Maheshwari
• New Chief Justice of Kerala High Court - S. Manikumar
• New Chief Justice of Sikkim High Court - Arup K.
Goswami
• New Chief Justice of Gauhati High Court - Ajai Lamba
20. Vice-Chief of Air Force - Air Marshal HS Arora. He succeeds Air
Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria
21. New chief of PIB - Kuldeep Singh Dhatwalia has been
appointed as the new Director-General of the Press
Information Bureau (PIB). He becomes the 28th DG of the PIB.
• He succeeds incumbent Sitanshu Ranjan Kar.
22. New Lokpal of Punjab - Justice Vinod Kumar Sharma
23. New MD & CEO of Oil India Limited – Sushil Chandra Mishra
24. Surjit Bhalla Appointed as Executive Director for India at IMF
- The government has appointed an eminent economist Surjit S
Bhalla as the Executive Director for India on the board of the
International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Note: Surjit S Bhalla succeeds former RBI deputy governor
Subir Gokarn who died in the US on July 30 after a brief illness.
25. President of Mumbai Cricket Association – Vijay Patil (son of
former Governor of Bihar Dr DY Patil)
26. New MD & CEO of Tata Communications - Amur
Lakshminarayanan
27. New MD & CEO of Punjab National Bank - SS Mallikarjuna Rao.
He will replace Sunil Mehta.
28. New chief of South Western Air Command - Air Marshal S K
Ghotia
29. New administrator for PMC Bank – Jai Bhagwan Bhoria
30. International Egg Commission chief – Suresh Chitturi
31. Former Indian cricketer, Kapil Dev resigned as chairman of
Cricket Advisory Committee (CAC) of BCCI.
world badminton champion Pusarla Venkata Sindhu (PV
Sindhu) as its brand ambassador.
6. Election Commission appoints Madhuri Dixit as goodwill
ambassador for Maharashtra Assembly polls.
7. Telangana Governor Tamilisai becomes the youngest
governor - Tamilisai Soundararajan who was sworn in as the
first woman governor of Telangana became the youngest state
governor at the age of 58 among all the current governors.
• She is the only governor who is under 60 years of age.
• The second youngest governor is Acharya Devvrat, 60,
who is serving as the governor of Gujarat since July
this year.
• She replaces E.S.L. Narasimhan.
8. Vijay Kumar Chopra elected PTI Chairman - Chief Editor of the
Punjab Kesari Group of newspapers Vijay Kumar Chopra has
been elected as the Chairman of Press Trust of India (PTI).
 www.gradeup.co
• Vijay Kumar Chopra succeeds N Ravi, Publisher and
former Editor-in-Chief of The Hindu.
9. Vineet Jain, Managing Director of Bennett, Coleman and
Company Limited (BCCL), has been elected as the Vice-
Chairman of PTI.
10. New Chairman of Audit Bureau of Circulations (ABC) -
Madhukar Kamath
11. New chairman of the Association of Mutual Funds in India
(AMFI) - Nilesh Shah
12. New Deputy Managing Director (DMD) of IDBI Bank - Samuel
Joseph Jebaraj
13. India’s first female military diplomat – Wing Commander
Anjali Singh
Note:
• She has joined the Indian Embassy in Russia as India’s
first female military diplomat to be posted in any of
the Indian missions abroad.
• She has joined her new assignment as the Deputy Air
Attache.
International Appointment
1. Next High Commissioner of India to Niue – Muktesh Kumar
Pardeshi
Note: Capital of Niue: Alofi; Currency: Niue dollar, New
Zealand dollar.
2. Next Ambassador of India to Greece - Amrit Lugun
3. Christine Lagarde: Head of European Central Bank.
4. Rafael Mariano Grossi: New Director-General of the
International Atomic Energy Agency.
5. New President of Tunisia: Kais Saied.
Note: The Independent law professor Kais Saied won against
his rival, Nabil Karoui. He won Tunisia’s presidential election
with 73% of votes. The elections followed the death of
President Beji Caid Essebsi in July 2019.
6. Prime Minister of Portugal: Antonio Costa.
7. Bulgaria's economist Kristalina Georgieva (66-year-old) has
been elected the new head of the International Monetary
Fund (IMF).
8. Next Indian Ambassador to Guinea Bissau - Godavarthi
Venkata Srinivas
• Empowerment of Women (UN-Women) for Resource
Management, Sustainability and Partnerships.
Honours & Awards
December
1. Greta Thunberg: Swedish teen activist awarded the
International Children’s Peace Prize 2019.
57
14. First Lokayukta of Andhra Pradesh - Justice P Lakshmana Reddy
15. First chancellor of Rai Sports University – The Haryana
Government has appointed cricket legend Kapil Dev as the first
Chancellor of Sports University, Rai (Sonepat).
16. Chief Justice of Gujarat High Court – Justice Vikram Nath
17. New Principal Secretary to PM Modi - Pramod Kumar Mishra
18. New Principal Advisor to PM Modi - Pradeep Kumar Sinha
19. New Press Secretary to President Ram Nath Kovind - Ajay
Kumar Singh
20. New MD of Microsoft India (R&D) - Rajiv Kumar
21. First Principal Chief Commissioner of Income Tax of NeAC -
Krishna Mohan Prasad
Note: Central Board of Direct Tax (CBDT) has newly set up
National e-Assessment Centre (NeAC) in Delhi.
22. New Director General (DG) of BSF - Vivek Kumar Johri
23. Vice Chief of Army Staff - Lt. Gen. Mukund Naravane
24. New Chairman of Association of World Election Bodies (AWEB)
- Sunil Arora
Note: Capital of Guinea Bissau: Bissau, Currency of Guinea
Bissau: West African CFA franc.
9. National Security Adviser of US – Robert O’Brien
10. ADB president Takehiko Nakao resigns - Asian Development
Bank (ADB) President Takehiko Nakao has announced his
resignation. He became the president of ADB on April 28,
2013.
Note: Headquarters of ADB: Manila, Philippines; Founded:19
December 1966.
11. Head of Hodeidah mission – Lieutenant General (Retired)
Abhijit Guha as the head of the UN mission in Hodeidah,
Yemen
12. First female Chief of Royal Bank of Scotland - Alison Rose. She
will replace Ross McEwan on November 1.
13. Next Indian Ambassador to Norway - B Bala Bhaskar
14. Next High Commissioner of India to Lesotho - Jaideep Sarkar
15. Youngest-ever Prime Minister of Ukraine - Oleksiy Honcharuk
16. President Donald Trump has nominated Indian American
Shireen Mathews as a judge of the US District Court for the
Southern District of California.
Note: She has been awarded for her work in the struggle
against climate change which has resonated with
 www.gradeup.co
schoolchildren across the world. Cameroonian peace activist
Divina Maloum (15-years) also received the International
Children's Peace Prize, awarded for her “peaceful struggle”
against the Boko Haram jihadist group.
2. Satya Nadella has occupied the top spot in Fortune's
Businessperson of the Year 2019 list.
Note: The list also includes Ajay Banga (Mastercard CEO) and
Jayshree Ullal (Arista head).Fortune's annual Businessperson of
the Year list features 20 business leaders "who tackled
audacious goals, overcame impossible odds, found creative
solutions".
3. Best Performance by an Actor Award at the Asia Pacific Screen
Awards -- Manoj Bajpayee
Note: He has been awarded for his role in Bhonsle. The Hindi
feature ‘Bhonsle’ narrates the story of a police constable
(Bajpayee), who tries to fight the struggles of migrants and
their battles with the local politicians. The movie was directed
by Devashish Makhija.
4. Chitahresh Natesan: Former Hockey player turned
bodybuilder has been crowned Mr Universe 2019
Note: India secured the second position in the team
championship category at the same event. Chitahresh Natesan
(5 ft 7 inches tall) has become the first Indian to win Mr
Universe (Pro) 2019 in the 90kg category.
5. Bangladesh’s Floating school project (in South Kanarchor) wins
the Aga Khan Architecture Award for the The Arcadia
Education Project.
Note: The project involved the construction of a school in an
area which is underwater during the monsoon months. The
architect (Saif Ul Haque) designed this school which remains
on the ground during the dry season and floats on water when
the area is submerged in water during monsoon. The school
also serves as a shelter, a daycare centre and a vocational
training centre for the local people
6. Billboard’s 2019 Woman of the Year -- Singer Billie Eilish.
Note: Billie Eilish is the youngest artist ever to be named
Billboard’s Woman of the Year. Pop star Taylor Swift will be
honoured at Billboard’s event, receiving the inaugural Woman
of the Decade award. Eilish gets her crown during the Billboard
Women in Music event on 12th December this year
7. Jhilli Dalabehera: Odia women weightlifter receive the 27th
Ekalabya Award for 2019.
Note: Jhilli Dalabehera has brought laurels for both the State
and the country in several national and international
events.She has won two gold, three silver and a bronze medal
in different International weightlifting events.
8. The 28th Bihari Puraskar for 2018 for her novel ‘Swapnapash --
Manisha Kulshreshtha.
Note: The award is presented annually to writers of Rajasthani
origin by the KK Birla Foundation for their outstanding work in
Hindi or Rajasthani published in the past 10 years. The award
named after famous Hindi poet Bihari (Bihari Lal Chaube), and
carries a cash prize of Rs 2.5 lakh, a citation, and a plaque.
9. Neha Dixit: Indian journalist is one of several recipients of the
2019 International Press Freedom Awards.
58
Note: Ms. Dixit is a Delhi-based journalist who reports on
politics, social justice and gender in South Asia. The award is
presented by the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ), a
non-profit organization whose aim is to enable journalists to
work without the fear of reprisal.
10. French film ‘Particles’ has won the coveted Golden Peacock
Award at the 50th International Film Festival of India (IFFI) in
Goa.
Note: Particles is a 2019 French-Swiss co-produced drama film
directed by Blaise Harrison and produced by Estelle Fialon. The
Golden Peacock Award carries a cash prize of Rs 40 lakhs to be
shared equally between the Director and the Producer, Trophy
and the citation. The IFFI 2019 ‘Best Director Award’ was
conferred to Lijo Jose Pellissery for his Malayalam film
‘Jallikattu’. The Best Director award carries a Silver Peacock
trophy, a citation and a cash prize worth Rs 15 lakh.
11. Akkitham Achuthan Namboodiri: Noted Malayalam poet has
been declared the recipient of the 55th Jnanpith Award for the
year 2019.
Note: His work includes Irupatham Noottandinte Ithihasam, or
the legend of the 20th century, which is considered to have
brought modernism into Malayalam poetry.
12. Arun Jaitley: He was bestowed with the Economic Times (ET)
Lifetime Achievement Award for Public Service 2019.
Note: The award was received by Arun Jaitley’s spouse
Sangeeta Jaitley.
13. Bollywood actress Priyanka Chopra has been awarded the
Danny Kaye Humanitarian Award from UNICEF at the
Snowflake Ball in New York.
Note: Fashion designer Diane von Furstenberg (UNICEF's first
Goodwill Ambassador) handed over the award to the actor.
Priyanka Chopra has been associated with UNICEF for the past
15 years as a Goodwill Ambassador.
14. Bollywood actor fitness and wellness application has been
awarded Google Play’s Best Apps of 2019 in the ‘Personal
Growth’ category Shilpa Shetty App.
Note: Google has announced the winners of Google Play's Best
of 2019 awards selecting the best across apps, games, ebooks,
movies, and audiobooks of the year.
➢ Best App of 2019 - Ablo
➢ Best Game of 2019 - Call of Duty: Mobile
➢ Google Play User's Choice 2019 Awards
➢ App: Video Editor - Glitch Video Effects
➢ Game: Call of Duty: Mobile
➢ Movie: Marvel Studios' Avengers Endgame
➢ Ebook: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark
15. Roger Federer: The first living person in Switzerland to have a
coin minted in his honour.
Note: Swiss mint has announced that it would honour Roger
Federer by releasing 20 Swiss francs (USD 20.06) silver
commemorative coin in January 2020. This would be for the
first time in its history of Swiss mint that it is dedicating a Swiss
commemorative coin to a living person. This year's
commemorative Swiss coins included the 50th anniversary of
the moon landings, the Furka Pass and the roe deer.
 www.gradeup.co
16. Aberdeen Police station: Ranks first in the best police station
in the Country.
Note: Balasinor police station in Gujarat secured the second
rank while and Ajk Burhanpur in Madhya Pradesh got the 3rd
position. The ranking of police stations came after Prime
Minister Narendra Modi while addressing the DGPs conference
in 2015 in Kutch of Gujarat, had directed that parameters
should be laid down for grading police stations and assessing
their performance based on feedback.
November
1. The 28th Vyas Samman for the year 2018 was conferred to
Hindi writer Leeladhar Jagoori.
Note: The prestigious award was presented to him by
renowned author Govind Mishra. Mr Jagoori has been chosen
for the prestigious award for his poetry collection- Jitne Log
Utne Prem.
2. Nawazuddin Siddiqui has been honored with the prestigious
Golden Dragon Award.
Note: The Gangs of Wasseypur actor was presented the award
by counsel general of Wales, UK, Mick Antoniw, at an event in
Cardiff. The actor has made a mark internationally with
Netflix’s Sacred Games, Ritesh Batra’s Photograph and BBC
UK’s McMafia.
3. Indian Film star Rajinikanth will be honoured with first “Icon of
Golden Jubilee Award” at IFFI.
Note: The IFFI will also confer with the Lifetime Achievement
Award for a Foreign Artiste to French Actress Isabelle Huppert.
The Icon of Golden Jubilee Award is a special award
constituted by the Government of India in the year 2019.
4. Noted writer Anand has been selected for the 27th
Ezhuthachan Puraskaram.
Note: This award is given by the Kerala Sahitya Akademi Award
and the Government of Kerala. His one of the famous Novel is
Aalkoottam which portrays the unique crises that the nation
had witnessed with a rare finesse. His Govardhante Yatrakal
had won the Kendra Sahitya Akademi award, Veedum
Thadavum and Jaina Manushyan Kerala Sahitya Akademi
award and Marubhoomikal Undakunnath, Vayalar award.
5. Neeraj Sharma: winner of the ‘Early Career Researcher of the
Year Award-2019’ (Physical Sciences).
Note: The Award has been given by the Australian government
for his work in lithium-ion batteries found in electronic
devices, electric vehicles and the grid.
6. Sudarsan Pattnaik has been chosen for the Italian Golden Sand
Art Award 2019.
Note: He will be felicitated during the International Scorrana
Sand Nativity fete in Italy which will be held between 13th and
18th November 2019.
7. U.S. based-Indian author Madhuri Vijay’s debut novel, “The Far
Field” has won 2019 JCB prize for Literature.
Note: She also received the Rs 25 lakh as the prize money, a
sculpture by Delhi artist duo Thukral & Tagra entitled Mirror
Melting.
59
17. Ripu Daman Bevli: He will be the Plogging Ambassador of India
on 50th Fit India Plogging Run.
Note: The minister also launched the nation-wide Plogging
Ambassador Mission under which, Indians who have been
running and cleaning their cities, towns or districts, will be
nominated as Plogging Ambassadors of their region. Fit India
Plogging Run was launched on October 2 which is a unique way
of picking up garbage while jogging and was added to the Fit
India Movement as a unique way of combining cleanliness and
fitness.
8. Shripad Naik inaugurated the DRDO Igniter Complex at High
Energy Materials Research Laboratory (HEMRL) in Pune.
Note: HEMRL (a premier laboratory of DRDO) is primarily
engaged in developing rocket and gun propellants, pyrotechnic
devices, high-explosive systems and synthesis of high-energy
molecules.
9. Sara Damnjanovic has been crowned ‘Miss Asia Global 2019’
(5th Edition) at Gokulam Convention centre in Kochi, Kerala.
Note: Vietnam's Nguyen Thi Yen Trang was crowned 'Miss
Asia', while Samiksha Singh (India) won the sub-title of 'Miss
Beautiful Face'. Miss Asia Global aims to find the most
beautiful and talented women from all over the globe.
10. West Bengal based writer Abhisek Sarkar has won an award at
Dhaka Lit-fest.
Note: West Bengal-based writer Abhisek Sarkar and
Bangladeshi poet Rofiquzzaman Rony were given the Gemcon
Young Literature Award and Gemcon Young Poetry Award.
Abhisek and Rofiquzzaman won the awards for their manus,
"Nishiddho" and "Dhoashar Tamate Rong," respectively.
11. The Raja Ram Mohan Roy award will be presented to
Rajasthan Patrika group chairman Gulab Kothari.
Note: Mr Kothari was selected for the prestigious award by the
Press Council of India for his outstanding contribution in the
field of journalism.
12. TVS Motor Chairman Srinivasan conferred with Deming award.
Note: Venu Srinivasan (Chairman of TVS Motor Company and
Sundaram Clayton) was conferred with the prestigious Deming
Distinguished Service Award For Dissemination and Promotion
Overseas. Srinivasan becomes the first industrialist from India
to be bestowed this prestigious award for his contributions in
the field of total quality management (TQM).
13. Nawazuddin Siddiqui will be honoured with Lesley Ho Asian
Film Talent Award at the Singapore International Film Festival
(SIFF).
Note: He will be awarded for his Netflix's Emmy-nominated
original series Sacred Games. Earlier, Nawazuddin Siddiqui was
honoured by the Golden Dragon Award at the Cardiff
International Film Festival for his excellence in cinema in the
International market.
14. Wildlife biologist K. Ullas Karanth was awarded the Wildlife
Conservation Society’s George Schaller Lifetime Award in
Wildlife Conservation Science.
 www.gradeup.co
Note: K. Ullas Karanth has been awarded for his contribution
to the field of conservation. His research is described as
pioneering and groundbreaking with focus on the ecology of
tigers, predator-prey population ecology, sympatric predators
and other large mammals, and mitigation of human-wildlife
conflicts.The award is instituted by Wildlife Conservation
Society (WCS), New York.
15. Writer, translator and film critic Shanta Gokhale has been
conferred with Tata Literature Live Lifetime Achievement
Award 2019.
Note: Poet K Satchidanandan was named the Tata Literature
Live! Poet Laureate for 2019. Recently, Gokhale published her
memoir One Foot on the Ground: A Life Told Through the
Body.
16. Dr Debabhuson Borah: winner of Munin Barkotoki Literary
Award 2018 in Assam.
Note: He has been awarded for his book on literary criticism
titled 'Nirbochon'. The award carries a cash prize of Rs 50,000
along with with a citation and a plaque. The Munin Barkotoki
Memorial Trust announced the annual Award instituted to
encourage young and promising writers in Assamese.
17. An Indian Ph.D. Scholar has won BRICS-Young Innovator Prize -
- Ravi Prakash.
Note: India won 1st prize of #BRICS -Young scientist forum's
(YSF) conclave during 6-8 Nov 2019 in Brazil. The theme for the
4th BRICS-YSF was “Cybersecurity and Bio-economy”.
18. Tobacco Board got ‘Golden Leaf Award’ Tab Expo 2019 in the
Netherlands.
Note: The Tobacco Board of India was awarded the ‘Golden
Leaf award 2019’ at the Tab Expo 2019 in Amsterdam,
Netherlands.
19. Manoj Bajpayee starrer won two awards at Asian Film Festival
Barcelona -- Bhonsle.
Note: Manoj Bajpayee-starrer and critically acclaimed movie
"Bhonsle" has won the ‘Best Screenplay’ and ‘Best Director’
awards at the ‘Asian Film Festival’ in Barcelona, Spain.
20. Renowned Rabindra Sangeet exponent from Bangladesh
Rezwana Choudhury Bannya has conferred the ICCR
distinguished alumni award in Dhaka.
Note: The award was given away by the Riva Ganguly Das
(High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh) in a musical
function organized by the Indira Gandhi Cultural Centre (IGCC).
21. Late actor Sridevi Sridevi & actor Rekha conferred with the
Akkineni Nageswara Rao National Award for 2018 and 2019
respectively.
Note: The award was presented by Chiranjeevi (Telugu actor).
The award is instituted by the Akkineni International
Foundation and honours those who have made a lasting
impact on Indian cinema.
22. Bajrang Punia has been conferred the Indian Personality of
the Year Award (Sports) at the Indo Arab Leaders Summit &
Awards 2019.
Note:World powerlifting champion Mahant Gaurav Sharma
was honoured with Visionary Leaders of the Year (Sports)
award.Gaurav was conferred with the prestigious Mahatma
Gandhi Leadership Award in London.
23. Sir David Attenborough.: 2019 Indira Gandhi Peace Prize.
Note: He will receive the award for his tireless work to
preserve and protect biodiversity. This prestigious award
(named after former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi) has been
accorded annually by Indira Gandhi Trust since 1986.
24. Virat Kohli: Named People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals (PETA) India’s Person of the Year for 2019 for his
animal advocacy efforts.
Note: Virat Kohli’s efforts to improve conditions for animals
include sending a letter to officials asking for the release of an
elephant used for rides at Amer Fort. People for the Ethical
Treatment of Animals (PETA) is an American animal rights
organization based in Norfolk, Virginia.

October
Complete list of the winners of Nobel Prize 2019:

S.No. Field Winners Description

William G. Kaelin
(USA)

Physiology or Sir Peter J. Ratcliffe for their discoveries of how cells sense
1
Medicine (United Kingdom) and adapt to oxygen availability

Gregg L. Semenza
(USA)

60
 www.gradeup.co
James Peebles for theoretical discoveries in physical
(Canada) cosmology

Michel Mayor
2 Physics
(Switzerland)
for the discovery of an exoplanet orbiting
a solar-type star
Didier Queloz
(Switzerland)

John B. Goodenough
(Germany)

M. Stanley
for the development of lithium-ion
3 Chemistry Whittingham
batteries
(United Kingdom)

Akira Yoshino
(Japan)

for a narrative imagination that with

Olga Tokarczuk
Literature (2018) encyclopedic passion represents the
(Poland)
crossing of boundaries as a form of life
4
for an influential work that with linguistic
Peter Handke
Literature (2019) ingenuity has explored the periphery and
(Austria)
the specificity of human experience

Abiy Ahmed Ali for his efforts to achieve peace and

5 Peace
(Ethiopia) international cooperation

Abhijit Banerjee
(India)

for their experimental approach to

6 Economics Esther Duflo (France)
alleviating global poverty

Michael Kremer
(USA)

1. Swachhata ambassador award – President Ram Nath Kovind presented the most effective Swachchta Ambassador award to Former
Indian cricketer Sachin Tendulkar on 150th birth anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi.
2. AzizbekAshurov wins 2019 – Human rights lawyer from Kyrgyzstan Azizbek Ashurov was awarded the 2019 UN High Commissioner for
Refugees (UNHCR) prestigious Nansen Award.
3. National Tourism Award – Odisha’s Tapan Kumar Mishra has been honoured with the National Tourism Award for the Category of
“Best Tourist Guide” for the year 2017-18 during celebration of the World Tourism Day.
• He is a freelance Tourist Guide approved by the Union Ministry of Tourism.
4. Golden Dragon Award for his works in Hindi cinema - Nawazuddin Siddiqui.
5. The Mohun Bagan Athletic Club has conferred life membership to Nobel laureate Abhijit Banerjee.

61
 www.gradeup.co
6. The Sakharov Prize to Uighur intellectual -- Ilham Tohti.
7. The Asian Academy Creative Awards – ‘Gully Boy’ & ‘Delhi Crime’.
8. People’s Icon Award 2019: Jennifer Aniston.
9. “Most Eminent Senior Citizen Award”: K Parasaran (former Attorney General of India).
10. Orchestra of the year award 2019: Philharmonic Orchestra
11. 2019 Booker Prize: Margaret Atwood and Bernardine Evaristo.
12. Golden Shoe as top scorer in European Leagues: Leo Messi
Note: Messi won the trophy for a 3rd straight year after scoring 36 goals, 3 more than his closest challenger, Kylian Mbappe of Paris
Saint-Germain.
13. Madhya Pradesh government’s National Kishore Kumar Samman for 2018-19 – Priyadarshan.
14. The 31st Indira Gandhi Award for National Integration for the years 2017 and 2018: Chandi Prasad Bhatt.
15. Asia Environmental Enforcement Award by the United Nations Environment Programme -- Ramesh Pandey.
16. The Don’ Award -- Ashleigh Barty.
17. Russia’s highest honours, “The Order of Courage“-- Nick Hague (NASA astronaut).
18. People’s Choice Award at My Rode Reel film competition -- Spirit Of Kerala.

September

1. Pandit Jasraj becomes first Indian musician to have minor
planet named after him – The IAU – International Astronomical
Union has named a minor planet between Mars and Jupiter
after an Indian classical singer Pandit Jasraj.
• The number given to Pandit Jasraj planet was 300128
which is a reverse order of his date of birth 28/01/30.
• He is the first Indian musician to receive this honor.
• The planet was discovered on November 11, 2006.
About IAU
• International Astronomical Union was founded in 1919.
• The objective of the organization was to promote and
safeguard astronomical science in every aspect.
• The headquarters of IAU is located in Paris, France.
2. India’s Most Powerful Women in Media” – Kallie Puri has
been awarded with “India’s Most Powerful Women in Media”
award at the famed Confluence Excellence Awards.
• She received the prestigious award at the British
Parliament. She is the Vice-Chairperson of the India
Today Group.
3. MP Birla Memorial Award –Thanu Padmanabhan (62-year-old)
a well-known Physicist and Cosmologist was conferred the
prestigious M P Birla Memorial Award 2019 for his
contributions to the world of cosmology.
4. Punyabhushan Award – Eminent archaeologist Dr. G.B.
Deglurkar has been awarded with the prestigious
Punyabhushan Award.
• The award was presented him for his long-standing
contribution to the field of Indian Archaeology
through renowned Deccan College Post graduate &
Research Institute.
5. Real Kashmir FC nominated for BAFTA Awards – A
documentary on Srinagar-based football club Real Kashmir FC
has nominated in the prestigious British Academy Film and
Television Arts (BAFTA) Awards.
6. Cochin International Airport wins award for passenger
satisfaction – Airport Council International has recognised
Cochin International Airport Limited as the best airport in
terms of services offered to passengers.
7. Infosys Bags UN Global Climate Action Award – IT major
Infosys has received the United Nations Global Climate Action
Award in the ‘Climate Neutral Now’ category.
• The award will be presented to Infosys at the UN
Climate Change Conference (COP25) in Santiago, Chile
(December 2019).
8. Shanti Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes 2019 – Kolkata-based
mathematician Neena Gupta has bagged the Shanti Swarup
Bhatnagar award, the most prestigious award of the country
for maths, this year.
• She has also been recognised as the youngest ever to
win it. She is yet to be 35.
• President of India Ram Nath Kovind, presented Shanti
Swarup Bhatnagar Prizes 2019, for outstanding
contributions in science and technology at a function
held at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.
• The awards were presented on the occasion of the
78th Foundation Day of Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR).
List of winners –

62
 www.gradeup.co
• For Biological Sciences: Dr. Kayarat Sai Krishnan (Indian
Institute of Science Education and Research, Pune); Dr.
Soumen Basak (National Institute of Immunology, New
Delhi)
• For Chemical Sciences: · Dr. Raghavan B Sunoj (IIT,
Bombay); Dr. Tapas Kumar Maji (Jawaharlal Nehru Centre
for Advanced Scientific Research, Bengaluru)
• For Earth, Atmosphere, Ocean and Planetary Sciences:
Dr. Subimal Ghosh (IIT, Bombay)
• For Engineering Sciences: Manik Varma (Microsoft
Research India, Bengaluru)
• For Mathematical Sciences: Dr. Dishant Mayur Bhai
Pancholi (Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai), Dr.
Neena Gupta (Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata)
• For Medical Sciences: Dr. Dheeraj Kumar (International
Centre for Genetic Engineering and Biotechnology, New
Delhi), Dr. Mohammad Javed Ali (LV Prasad Eye Institute,
Hyderabad)
• For Physical Sciences: Dr. Aninda Sinha (IISc, Bengaluru),
Dr. Shankar Ghosh (TIFR, Mumbai)
9. 21st Century Icon Awards – Playback singer Sonu Nigam has
been honoured with the Magnificent Performing Arts Award at
the annual 21st Century Icon Awards in London.
10. Vaccine Hero’ award – Prime Minister of Bangladesh Sheikh
Hasina has been conferred with prestigious ‘Vaccine Hero’
award of Global Alliance for Vaccination and Immunisations
(GAVI) in recognition of Bangladesh’s outstanding success in
vaccination to immunise children.
11. Right Livelihood Award 2019 – Swedish climate activist Greta
Thunberg has been named for Right Livelihood Award 2019.
• Right Livelihood Award also known as ‘Alternative
Nobel Prize’.
List of winners –
• Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg– for inspiring
and amplifying political demands for urgent climate
action reflecting scientific facts
• Sahrawi human rights activist Aminatou Haidar- for
her steadfast nonviolent action, despite imprisonment
and torture, in pursuit of justice and self-
determination for people of Western Sahara
• Chinese women’s rights lawyer Guo Jianmei– for her
pioneering and persistent work in securing women’s
rights in China.
• Hutukara Yanomami Association (Brazil) and its
indigenous leader Davi Kopenawa– for their
courageous determination to protect the forests and
biodiversity of Amazon, and the lands and culture of
its indigenous peoples
12. Changemaker Award 2019 – Rajasthan’s Payal Jangid, aged
17, became the first Indian to receive the Changemaker Award
2019 at the Goalkeepers Global Goals Awards 2019.
63
• The Award was presented by the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation at a ceremony held in New York,
United States.
• She was awarded for her work towards the abolition
of child marriage in her village and other neighbouring
areas.
13. Global Goalkeeper Award – Prime Minister Narendra Modi
received the 2019 Global Goalkeeper Award.
• He received the award for Swachh Bharat Mission
from Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.
14. Dada Saheb Phalke award – Veteran Bollywood actor Amitabh
Bachchan has been selected for the 66th Dadasaheb Phalke
Award for the year 2018.
• The Award is given by the Government of India for
Lifetime Contribution to Indian Cinema.
• The first Dadasaheb Phalke award was given to Devika
Rani in 1969.
15. Documentary film Moti Bagh’ nominated for Oscars – A
documentary film 'Moti Bagh' has been nominated for the
Oscars which is based on the life struggle of farmer 'Vidya Dutt
Sharma'.
• He is a resident of Sanguda in Kaljikhal block of Pauri
Garhwal region of Uttarakhand.
• 'Moti Bagh' is directed by Nirmal Chander Dandriyal.
16. 2017-18 National Tourism Awards – National Tourism Awards
for 2017-18 were presented by Vice President M. Venkaiah
Naidu in New Delhi on 27 September 2019 on occasion of
World Tourism Day.
• Andhra Pradesh state won the first prize for Best
State for Comprehensive Development of Tourism.
• Goa and Madhya Pradesh: Both states were
announced as joint winners in Adventure Tourism
category.
• Uttarakhand state won the best film promotion
friendly state.
• Telangana won the best state in innovative use of IT
category.
17. SASTRA Ramanujan prize for 2019 – The SASTRA Ramanujan
prize for 2019 will be awarded to Adam Harper.
• Mathematician Adam Harper is an Assistant Professor
with the University of Warwick, England.
• The award was instituted in 2005 and awarded by
SASTRA University on its campus near Kumbakonam
in Tamil Nadu.
18. Senior journalist and Ramon Magsaysay awardee, Ravish
Kumar has received the 1st Gauri Lankesh National Award for
Journalism.
19. Gully Boy’ India’s official entry to Oscars 2020 – The Film
Federation of India (FFI) has chosen ‘Gully Boy’ as India’s
official entry to the Oscars. “Gully Boy”, produced by Ritesh
Sidhwani and Farhan Akhtar and directed by Zoya Akhtar.
 www.gradeup.co
• Ranveer Singh and Alia Bhatt was in a lead role in film
Gully Boy.
20. IIFA Awards 2019 –
• Best Film – Raazi
• Best Actor (Female) - Alia Bhatt (Raazi)
• Best Actor (Male) - Ranveer Singh (Padmaavat)
• Best Director - Sriram Raghavan (Andhadhun)
• Lifetime Achievement Award - Jagdeep Jaffery (actor
& comedian)
• 20 Years Best Actor (Female) - Deepika Padukone
• Outstanding performance by a director in the last 20
years - Rajkumar Hirani (Sanju)
• 20 Years Best Actor (Male) - Ranbir Kapoor
• Best music in the last 20 years – Pritam
• Best film of the past 20 years - Kaho Na Pyaar Hai
21. Education Excellence Award 2019 – Super 30 founder and
noted mathematician Anand Kumar has been felicitated in the
US with a prestigious Education Excellence Award 2019.
22. Boston Film Festival – Bollywood actress Neena Gupta has
won 2 awards at Indian International Film Festival of Boston.
• The actress won the Best Actress award for ‘Badhaai
Ho‘ and her film ‘The Last Color‘ emerged victorious
in Best Feature Film category.
• ‘The Last Color’ was directed by chef Vikas Khanna.
The film deals with taboo surrounding widows in
Vrindavan and Varanasi in India.
23. Eminent Engineers Award – Vinod Kumar Yadav (Chairman of
Railway Board)
• The Union Minister for Skill Development &
Entrepreneurship, Dr Mahendra Nath Pandey
presented the award to Vinod Kumar Yadav for his
outstanding contributions in the field of engineering.
• The award was presented on 52nd Engineers’ Day.
The theme of 52nd Engineers’ Day was “Engineering
for change”.
24. Aga Khan Architecture Award – Arcadia Education Project
which involves construction of floating school for marginalised
children in South Kanarchor of Bangladesh, has been awarded
the prestigious Aga Khan Architecture Award 2019.
25. Dr Kalam Smriti International Excellence Award – Bangladesh
Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina received the Dr Kalam Smriti
International Excellence Award 2019 in Dhaka.
26. 11th International Hrant Dink Award - Meghalaya-based rights
activist Agnes Kharshiing, who survived an assault by the coal
mafia almost a year ago, received the 11th International Hrant
Dink Award.
• She received the award along with Turkish activist
against male violence, Nebahat Akkoc.
27. First Class Order of Zayed II – Navdeep Singh Suri, India’s
envoy to United Arab Emirates, has been honoured with the
First Class Order of Zayed II award.
64
28. Asia Pacific Golf Hall of Fame – Managing Director and
Chairman of Hero MotoCorp, Pawan Munjal will be inducted
into the 2019 Asia Pacific Golf Hall of Fame. He will be inducted
for his support to “Golf” in India and around the world.
29. Knighthoods award - England cricket greats Geoffrey Boycott
and Andrew Strauss have been honoured with “Knighthoods”
by Theresa May in her resignation honours list.
• Both the former cricketers have received the honour
for their services to sport after outstanding careers
for England.
30. Sarala Puraskar – Noted Odia writer Pradeep Dash will be
conferred with the 40th edition of prestigious Sarala Puraskar
for his poetry work Charu Chibar O Charjya.
31. “Oscars of science” awarded to Event Horizon Telescope Team
–
• On 5th September the team from the Event Horizon
Telescope Collaboration project won the
‘Breakthrough Prize in Fundamental Physics’ an award
considered the ‘Oscars of Science’.
• The team won a prize of $3 million for their work.
• On April 10, 2019, the team had published the image
of black hole circled by a flame-orange halo of white-
hot plasma on the Messier 87 (M87) galaxy.
32. Odisha bags award for using IT in disaster management -
Odisha State Disaster Management Authority (OSDMA) has
won the IT Excellence Award, 2019.
• The award was presented to the Odisha state for its
innovative conception by using information
technology in the field of disaster management.
• The "SATARK" (System for Assessing, Tracking and
Alerting Disaster Risk Information based on Dynamic
Risk Knowledge) has been chosen for the award,
33. ‘Lamp of Peace of Saint Francis’ Award conferred on
Muhammad Yunus – The Vatican has honoured Nobel
Laureate Prof Muhammad Yunus with the ‘Lamp of Peace of
Saint Francis’ award.
• The award aims to honour those who work towards
promoting peace and harmony.
• Dr. Muhammad Yunus is known as the father of the
microcredit concept.
• He was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 2006 for
founding the Grameen Bank and pioneering the
concepts of microcredit and microfinance.
34. Indian Railways wins Best Ministry for Implementation of
Swachhata Action Plan for 2018-19 –On occasion of Swachh
Mahotsav 2019 held at Vigyan Bhavan in New Delhi (on 6
September 2019).
• President of India Ram Nath Kovind presented an
award to Indian Railways as Best Ministries for
Implementation of Swachhata Action Plan for 2018-
19.
 www.gradeup.co
• Best Swachh iconic Place award to Chhatrapati Shivaji
Maharaj Terminus (CSMT) Mumbai under Swachh
Bharat Mission initiative.
• The 3 best stations as per Cleanliness Ranking Survey
for 2018 i.e. Jaipur, Jodhpur and Tirupati were also
awarded.
Note:
Swachhata Action Plan (SAP)?
• It is one of flagship initiatives of Prime Minister Naredra
Modi towards making Swachh Bharat everyone’s business.
• SAP was formally launched on 1 April 2017, with active
participation of 72 Ministries and Departments.
• It has brought all Ministries and Departments under one
umbrella and contributed towards achieving Swachh
Bharat by 2019.
• Nodal agency: for SAP is Union Ministry of Drinking Water
and Sanitation.
35. Global Goalkeeper Awards – Prime Minister Narendra Modi
will be honoured with the prestigious ‘Global Goalkeeper
Award’.
Note:
• He will be given this honour for his commitment and
leadership towards Swachh Bharat Abhiyan.
• The award will be presented by the Bill and Melinda
Gates Foundation which is owned by Microsoft
founder Bill Gates and his wife Melinda Gates.
• According to this foundation, this award is to a leader
to show commitment towards working effectively for
the global goal in his country or globally.
About Global Goalkeeper Awards
• The Global Goalkeeper Awards are presented to leaders
and individuals for their efforts in achieving the
Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in five categories.
August
•The categories are Progress, Changemaker, Campaign,
Goalkeepers Voice and the Global Goalkeeper.
About Swachh Bharat Abhiyan
• Swachh Bharat Abhiyan is one of the ambitious projects
that was introduced by PM Modi on Mahatma Gandhi’s
birth anniversary 2nd October 2014.
• The ambitious mission aims at accelerating the efforts to
achieve universal sanitation coverage in the country by
this year as a tribute to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th
birth anniversary.
• As per the reports, till now 90 million toilets have been
built to eliminate open defecation by October 2, 2019, and
currently, 98 per cent of India's villages have rural
sanitation coverage instead of 38 per cent four years ago.
36. CSIR Young Scientist Award 2019 – Scientist John Mondal
receives the CSIR Young Scientist Award 2019 in the field of
Chemical Sciences.
Note
• Currently, he is working as a scientist at the CSIR-
Indian Institute of Chemical Technology in Hyderabad.
• The CSIR Young Scientist Award given to those people
who are under 35 years old. The award carries a cash
prize of ₹50,000 and a plaque.
37. Best Swachh Iconic Place - Vaishno Devi shrine
• Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Shrine in Jammu and Kashmir
tops the list of the Best Swachh Iconic place in the
country in the ‘Swachh Iconic Places’.
• The Shrine has been adjudged based on the overall
improvement in sanitation.
• The list is list released by the Ministry of Jal Shakti,
Department of Drinking Water and Sanitation on
September 3.

National Sports Awards 2019 - National Sports Awards are given every year to recognize and reward excellence in sports. The awardees
will receive their awards from the President of India at a specially organized function at the Rashtrapati Bhawan on 29th August 2019.

• Para-athlete Deepa Malik and wrestler Bajrang Punia will be conferred with the prestigious Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna Award.
• Khel Ratna is given for the spectacular and most outstanding performance in the field of sports by a sportsperson over a
period of four year.
• Arjuna Award is given for consistently outstanding performance for four years.
• Dronacharya Award for coaches is given for producing medal winners at prestigious International sports events.
• Dhyan Chand Award for lifetime contribution to sports development.

List of all winners

Rajiv Gandhi Khel Ratna
• Bajrang Punia – Wrestling
• Deepa Malik - Para Athletics

Dronacharya Award (regular category for coaches)

65
 www.gradeup.co
• Vimal Kumar – Badminton
• Sandeep Gupta - Table tennis
• Mohinder Singh Dhillon – Athletics
Dronacharya Award (lifetime category)
• Sanjay Bhardwaj - cricket
• Rambir Singh Khokar - kabaddi
• Mezban Patel – hockey
Dhyan Chand Award
• Manoj Kumar (wrestling),
• C Lalremsanga (archery),
• Arup Basak (table tennis),
• Nitten Kirrtane (tennis) and
• Manuel Fredricks (hockey).
Arjuna Awards

Arjuna Award Sh. Tajinderpal Singh Toor Athletics

Arjuna Award Mohammed Anas Yahiya Athletics
Arjuna Award Sh. S. Bhaskaran Body Building
Arjuna Award Ms. Sonia Lather Boxing
Arjuna Award Sh. Ravindra Jadeja Cricket
Arjuna Award Sh. Chinglensana Singh Kangujam Hockey
Arjuna Award Sh. Ajay Thakur Kabaddi
Arjuna Award Sh. Gaurav Singh Gill Motor Sports
Arjuna Award Sh. Pramod Bhagat Para Sports (Badminton)
Arjuna Award Ms. Anjum Moudgil Shooting
Arjuna Award Sh. Harmeet Rajul Desai Table Tennis
Arjuna Award Ms. Pooja Dhanda Wrestling
Arjuna Award Sh. Fouaad Mirza Equestrian
Arjuna Award Sh. Gurpreet Singh Sandhu Football
Arjuna Award Ms. Poonam Yadav Cricket
Arjuna Award Ms. Swapna Barman Athletics
Arjuna Award Sh. Sundar Singh Gurjar Para Sports (Athletics)
Arjuna Award Sh. Bhamidipati Sai Praneeth Badminton
Arjuna Award Sh. Simran Singh Shergill Polo

66th National Film Awards

• Ayushmann Khurrana and Vicky Kaushal shared the Best Actor national film award and Uri Director Aditya Dhar won the Best
Director award.
• The 66th National Film awards were announced by Rahul Rawail, head of the Jury for feature films.
List of winners –

• Best Director: Aditya Dhar for Uri : The Surgical Strike

• Best Feature Film: Hellaro a Gujarati film directed by Abhishek Shah
• Best Actor: Ayushmann Khuranna for Andhadhun and Vicky Kaushal for Uri : The Surgical Strike
• Best Actress: Keerthy Suresh for Mahanati
• Best Supporting Actor - Swanand Kirkire for Chumbhak

66
www.gradeup.co
• Best supporting actress - Surekha Sikri for Badhaai Ho
• Best Action Direction: KGF Chapter I
• Best Choreography: Padmaavat for Goomar
• Best Film for National Integration - Ondalla Eradalla (Kannada)
• Best Popular Film: Badhaai Ho
• Best film on Environment issues - Paani
• Best Debut Film of a Director: Naal (Marathi)
• Best film on Social Issues: Padman
• Best Children's Film: Sarkari Hiriya Prathamika Shaale Kasaragod
• Special Jury Award: Award shared by Sruthi Hariharan, Joju George for Joseph, Savithri for Sudani From Nigeria,
Chandrachood Rai
Other Awards
1. King Hamad Order of the Renaissance – Prime Minister of
India Narendra Modi has been conferred King Hamad Order of
the Renaissance by Bahrain’s King Hamad bin Isa bin Salman
Al Khalifa in Manama, capital of Bahrain.
• He was conferred this prestigious honour in
recognition of his efforts to strengthen bilateral
relations with Bahrain.
• PM Modi is the 1st Indian prime minister to visit
Bahrain.
2. Order of Zayed - Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi was
honoured with prestigious ‘Order of Zayed’, United Arab
Emirates’ (UAE) highest civilian award.
Note: The award in name of Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al
Nahyan, founding father of UAE.
3. Eminent Engineer Award 2019 - Prabhakar Singh, Director
General, Central Public Works Department has been chosen
for the ‘Eminent Engineer Award for the Year 2019’.
Note: This award will be given by the Institution of Engineers
(India) for his distinguished and exemplary service in the field
of Engineering and Technology.
4. UEFA President’s Award – Former Manchester United forward
player Eric Cantona honoured with the award.
5. SKOCH Governance Gold Award – Deendayal Antyodaya
Yojana-National Urban Livelihoods Mission (DAY-NULM), has
been conferred the prestigious SKOCH Governance Gold
Award.
• It has been conferred the award for its initiative
“Portal for Affordable Credit and Interest Subvention
Access (PAiSA)”. DAY-NULM is a flagship mission
under the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs.
6. Indian documentary film I’m Jeeja” has won the award at the
14th edition of the ‘We Care Film Festival on Disability Issues’.
7. Pushkin Medal 2019 - JNU Professor Meeta Narain was
conferred the ‘Pushkin Medal – 2019’. This award is the
highest honour given to an Indian scholar by the Russian
government.
67
Note: Pushkin Medal is given to a scholar of Russian language
and literature for outstanding contribution to Russian studies
abroad.
8. South Asian Spelling Bee competition 2019 – Navneeth Murali,
an Indian-American teenager from New Jersey, has won the
2019 South Asian Spelling Bee contest.
9. Bharat Ratna Award 2019
• President of India, Ram Nath Kovind, presented
Bharat Ratna Awards to Nanaji Deshmukh
(posthumously), Bhupendra Kumar Hazarika
(posthumously) and Pranab Mukherjee at Rashtrapati
Bhavan.
• Nanaji Deshmukh, Bhupen Hazarika were conferred
the award posthumously.
• The Bharat Ratna has been conferred after a gap of
four years.
• Former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and
founder of Banaras Hindu University Madan Mohan
Malviya were given the award by the government in
2015.
About Nanaji Deshmukh
• Nanaji Deshmukh was born in 1916 in a Marathi
family in Parbhani, Maharashtra. As a child, he was
inspired by freedom fighter Bal Gangadhar Tilak.
• Nanaji established India's first Saraswati Sishu Mandir
at Gorakhpur in 1950.
• Nanaji Deshmukh had won in the 1977 Lok Sabha
election from Balrampur.
About Bhupen Hazarika
• Bhupen Hazarika was born on September 8, 1926
in Sadiya, Assam.
• He was also one of the leading author-poets of
Assam with more than 1,000 lyrics and several
short stories, essays and travelogues to his credit.
• Bhupen Hazarika, popularly known as the 'Bard of
Brahmaputra',.
 www.gradeup.co
• In May 2017, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
inaugurated India’s longest bridge (9.15 kms),
which runs over the Lohit river in Assam. Modi
named the Dhola-Sadia bridge after Bhupen
Hazarika.
About Pranab Mukherjee
• Pranab Mukherjee was born in Mirati in Birbhum District
of West Bengal on December 11, 1935 to freedom
fighters.
• He served as the 13th President of India from 2012 until
2017.
About Bharat Ratna
• It is highest civilian award of Republic of India. It was
instituted in 2 January 1954.
• First recipients of Bharat Ratna award (1954)- C.
Rajagopalachari, Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan and C. V.
Raman.
• Limits: Maximum of 3 nominees can be awarded per year.
10. Prime Minister Narendra Modi to be honoured with “Order of
Zayed” – The United Arab Emirates will honour the Indian
Prime Minister Narendra Modi with the “Order of Zayed“, the
highest civilian award of the country.
11. ISRO Chairman K. Sivan honoured with A.P.J. Abdul Kalam
Award – Tamil Nadu government has awarded K. Sivan with its
Dr. A.P.J. Abdul Kalam Award.
• K. Sivan is currently serving as the chairman of Indian
Space Research Organisation.
12. CCMB scientist K Thangaraj awarded JC Bose Fellowship – Dr
K Thangaraj, Chief Scientist at Council of Scientific & Industrial
Research (CSIR)– Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology
(CCMB) was awarded JC Bose Fellowship.
• He was given this fellowship for his outstanding
contributions in the field of population and medical
genomics.
• The JC Bose Fellowship is awarded to scientists in
recognition for their outstanding performance by the
Science and Engineering Research Board, Department
of Science and Technology.
13. Wg Cdr Abhinandan Varthaman honoured with Vir Chakra –
Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, has been honoured
with the Vir Chakra, India's third-highest war time gallantry
medal.
Note:
• From the Army, Sapper Prakash Jadhav of the Rashtriya
Rifles posthumously awarded Kirti Chakra, the second
highest peacetime gallantry award.
• Squadron Leader Minty Agarwal, who played a key role as
flight controller during the aerial combat between India
and Pakistan on February 27, has been awarded Yudh Seva
medal.
14. Arun Lal awarded CAB’s Lifetime Achievement Award –
Former India cricketer Arun Lal conferred with Karthik Bose
68
Lifetime Achievement award of the Cricket Association of
Bengal’s (CAB’s) in Kolkata.
• Former Bengal captain Raju Mukherjee was also
considered for 2019 Lifetime Achievement but CAB
eventually picked Lal.
15. Longest documentary “100 Years of Chrysostum” will receive
Guinness Award – A biographical documentary “100 Years of
Chrysostum” will receive Guinness Award in the category of
longest documentary.
• The “100 Years of Chrysostum” is based on the life of
Philipose Mar Chrysostum, scripted and directed by
filmmaker Blessy.
• The 48-hour and 8 minutes documentary has broken
the record of the 21-hour Saudi Arabian documentary
“World of Snakes”.
16. Rajasthan bags award at World Education Summit 2019 –
Rajasthan wins the “best innovation and initiative leadership
award” for its achievements in higher education in the World
Education Summit-2019 held in New Delhi.
17. Priyam Chatterjee becomes 1st Indian chef to win French
honour – Priyam Chatterjee became the 1st Indian chef to be
awarded the ‘Chevalier de l’Ordre du Mérite Agricoleto’ by the
government of France to recognise his contribution towards
reinventing the gastronomic scene in India.
• Chatterjee is best known for revisiting the traditional
dishes from his native state of West Bengal and giving
it a French twist.
18. Lionel Messi Wins UEFA Goal of the Season Award 2018-19 –
Barcelona’s Lionel Messi has been awarded UEFA’s Goal of the
Season award 2018-19 for his free-kick against Liverpool.
19. ISRO announces Vikram Sarabhai Journalism Award 2019 - As
part of centenary year celebrations of Dr. Vikram Sarabhai,
father of Indian space programme, ISRO institutes two
categories of awards in journalism.
• ISRO has announced its “Vikram Sarabhai Journalism
Award in Space Science, Technology and Research”
to recognize and reward journalists who have actively
contributed towards the field of space science,
applications, and research.
20. BAFTA LA to honour Steve Coogan with Charlie Chaplin
Award - Actor Steve Coogan will be felicitated with the Charlie
Chaplin Award by the British Academy’s Los Angeles branch.
He will receive the honour during the 2019 Britannia Awards.
21. President Kovind honoured with the highest award of
Republic of Guinea – President Ram Nath Kovind has been
awarded the National Order of Merit by the President of
Guinea.
• The award is bestowed for his exceptional
contribution to the advancement of overall
relations and development of mutual
cooperation between India and Guinea.
Note:
 www.gradeup.co
• President of Guinea: Alpha Conde
• Capital of Guinea: Conakry
• Currency of Guinea: Guinean franc
22. India’s transsexual woman Naaz Joshi was crowned Miss World
Diversity 2019. This event was held in Port Louis, Mauritius.
23. Miss England 2019 - Bhasha Mukherjee, a 23-year-old Indian
origin doctor was crowned Miss England 2019.
24. Ramon Magsaysay award 2019 – Ravish Kumar has been
awarded the 2019 Ramon Magsaysay Award for “harnessing
journalism to give voice to the voiceless”.
The other winners of the award are:
• Ko Swe Win (Myanmar): He is a human rights defender
and the chief editor of Myanmar Now news agency.
• Angkhana Neelapajit (Thailand) is human rights activist
and a leading human rights defender in Southern Thailand.
• Raymundo Pujante Cayabyab (Philippines) is a musician
who has served in the music faculty of the University of
the Philippines and has conducted free workshops for
thousands of students all across the country.
• Kim Jong-Ki (South Korea) is an activist working with
violence and mental health issues in youth and a South
Korean agrarian movement leader who pioneered
wasteland cultivation, and strove to demonstrate through
his work that life as a farmer can be fulfilling and
productive.
Oscar Awards 2019
1. Oscar Awards 2019 announced: The 91st Academy Awards
(Oscars) has been announced at the Dolby Theatre in
Hollywood, the USA.
Complete list of winners
• Best Picture - Green Book, directed by - Peter Farrelly
• Best Actress in a Leading Role - Olivia Colman for film
- The Favourite
• Best Actor in a Leading Role - Rami Malek for film -
Bohemian Rhapsody
National Affairs
December
1. The Union Government has launched the Intensified Mission
Indradhanush (IMI) 2.0 across the country.
Note: The government's flagship scheme is aimed at
immunizing children under the age of 2 years and pregnant
women against eight vaccine-preventable diseases. The
Intensified Mission Indradhanush (IMI) covers vaccines for
diphtheria, whooping cough, tetanus, poliomyelitis,
tuberculosis, measles, meningitis and Hepatitis B. Vaccines for
Japanese encephalitis and Hemophilus influenzal are also
being provided in selected areas. The IMI 2.0 aims to achieve
69
Note:
• The Magsaysay award was started in 1957 and
celebrates the memory and leadership example
of the former Philippine president Ramon del
Fierro Magsaysay.
• Ramon Magsaysay Award is regarded as the Asian
version of the Nobel Prize.
25. Kapil Dev honoured with Bharat Gaurav Award – East Bengal
club awarded former Indian Cricket captain Kapil Dev with its
highest honour, Bharat Gaurav.
26. 2019 Prem Bhatia Award – Veteran journalist and consulting
editor at India Today TV (television), Mr. Rajdeep Sardesai was
awarded the 2019 Prem Bhatia Award for his Outstanding
Political Reporting with a career spanning over three decades.
27. Ruhan Rajput honoured with ‘Entrepreneur of the Year
Award, 2019’ –
• Ruhan Rajput, a renowned entrepreneur, co-
founder and Director of Einfolge Technologies Pvt
Ltd was awarded the prestigious Entrepreneur
Award 2019 at New Delhi.
• Ruhan was acknowledged for his contributions
and achievements in the business industry.
• His company, is one of the leading players in the
knowledge process outsourcing (KPO) industry.
• Best Director - Alfonso Cuarón for Roma
• Best Foreign Language – Roma (Alfonso Cuaron's
Roma from Mexico has won Best Foreign language)
• Best Documentary Short film - Period. End of
Sentence Rayka Zehtabchi and Melissa Berton
Note:
• India-based Period End of Sentence has won
Documentary Short at 91stOscars Academy Awards.
• The film talks about the stigma of menstruation in
India.
• It is directed by Rakya Zehtabchi.
targets of full immunization coverage in 272 districts spread
over 27 States between December 2019 and March 2020.
2. India has become the first country to make the entire process
for pilgrims going on Haj completely digital.
Note: This came after the minister signed the bilateral
agreement for the pilgrimage with the Saudi Haj Minister in
Jeddah. The Hajj is an annual Islamic pilgrimage to Mecca,
Saudi Arabia, the holiest city for Muslims.
3. India-Sri Lanka joint exercise “MITRA SHAKTI” (7th edition)
begins at Aundh Military Station Pune.
 www.gradeup.co
Note: It aims to build and promote positive relations between LED streetlights donated by India were installed in Male
armies of both the countries focusing subunit level training on recently. These streetlights save 80% energy and will result in
counter insurgency and counter-terrorism operations in the cost savings of approx. 8.35 lakh MVR per year for Male city.
urban and rural environment. 11. Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) has set-up a Space
4. Telecom Regulatory Authority of India (TRAI) has revamped Technology Incubation Centre (S-TIC) at the National Institute
mobile number portability (MNP) rules, making the entire of Technology (NIT) Tiruchirappalli.
process faster and simpler.
Note: The centre will work with ISRO on the technical
Note: The TRAI has prescribed three working days timeline for
problems at hand related to the future Space programmes and
port out requests within a service area. Similarly, the timeline
of five working days has been prescribed for requests for port shall provide solutions. This S-TIC will cater to the southern
out from one circle to another. The validity of the Unique region of India, including Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala,
Porting Code (UPC) has also been brought down to four days Tamilnadu, Telangana, the Union Territories of Lakshadweep
instead of a fortnight earlier. and Puducherry.
5. The Union Government has launched the 4th round of 12. A 3-day annual national conference of DGPs and IGPs held in
Regional Connectivity Scheme UDAN (Ude Desh Ka Aam Pune.
Nagrik). Note: The conference is to be held at two venues - Indian
Note: The focus in this round will be North East Region, Hilly Institute of Science, Education and Research in Baner and the
States, Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh and Islands. The Civil Centre for Police Research in Pashan.
Aviation Ministry aims to operationalize one thousand routes
13. The Union Minister Piyush Goyal has inaugurated the 3rd
and more than 100 airports in the next five years.
edition of National Public Procurement Conclave in New
6. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu has launched the Bharatiya
Delhi.
Poshan Anthem.
Note: The two-day conclave has been organized by
Note: The anthem has been conceptualised by the Ministry of
Government e-Marketplace (GeM) in association with
Women and Child Development. It has been written by noted
Confederation of Indian Industry. GeM rests on the three
lyricist Prasoon Joshi and sung by Shankar Mahadevan.
pillars of openness, fairness and inclusiveness and is a symbol
7. India and Sweden signed a Memorandum of Understanding
of a truly transparent e-marketplace.
(MoU) for India-Sweden Healthcare Innovation Centre in New
14. India’s first Ganga centralized aqua lab at Wildlife Institute of
Delhi.
India (WII) Dehradun, Uttarakhand.
Note: The objective of the innovation Centre is to develop an
Note: The aqua labs will be set up under the National Mission
ecosystem of open innovation to which start-ups and the
for Clean Ganga (NMCG). Tributaries of river Ganga such as
healthcare delivery stakeholders can use to collaborate and
Gomti, Betwa, Kosi will be scientifically studied and their
address current and future challenges in the healthcare
biological components will be preserved in the lab.
sector.22 new AIIMS soon to become fully operational, and
15. India-China joint training exercise ‘HAND-IN-HAND 2019’ has
157 new Medical Colleges are at the development stage.
begun at Umroi, Meghalaya.
8. The Mumbai Central station of Railways was conferred with
Note: The aim of the exercise is to practice joint planning and
the ‘Eat Right Station’ certification with four stars rating by
conduct of counter-terrorist operations in semi-urban terrain.
the Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI).
The theme of the exercise is ‘counter-terrorism under United
Note: The Mumbai Central Railway Station is the country’s first
Nations mandate’. It is a 14-day-long training exercise and will
“Eat Right Station”. The focus of the movement is on
see the participation of around 260 military personals
improving the health and well-being of people by ensuring
16. Election Commission Set to implement ‘Political Parties
they eat healthily. ‘Eat Right India’ movement is built on two
Registration Tracking Management System’ from January
broad pillars of ‘Eat Healthy’ and ‘Eat Safe’.
2020.
9. India’s first maritime museum coming up at Lothal, Gujarat.
Note: The Election Commission of India has decided to
Note: Government of India (GoI) & Portugal has decided to
implement the “Political Parties Registration Tracking
cooperate in the setting up of an India’s 1st National Maritime
Management System” (PPRTMS) to help the applicants,
Heritage Museum at Lothal in Gujarat. The objective of the
applying for party registration, to track the progress of his /her
museum to boost the underwater or marine archaeology.
application. The new guidelines will be effective from 1
10. India gifted a ‘Made in India’ Patrol Vessel to the Maldives
January 2020.
National Defence Force (MNDF) -- KAAMIYAAB.
Note: It will be net security provider in the region amid China’s
increasing forays in the Indian Ocean Region. Meanwhile, 2500

November

1. Census 2021(16th) will be conducted in two phases (House- Note: The Expenditure Finance Committee (EFC) has
listing & Housing Census) during April to September 2020. recommended an amount of Rs. 8754.23 crore for conducting

70
 www.gradeup.co
Census 2021 in 16 languages. The reference date for the
census will be 1 March 2021. It will be 1st October 2020 for
Snow-bound Jammu and Kashmir, some areas of Himachal
Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
2. Union Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has
inaugurated an Agro-based Exhibition ‘Agro-Vision-2019’ in
Nagpur.
Note: Agro-Vision exhibition comprises of National Agri-
Exhibition Workshop for farmers and seminars.Small
entrepreneurs who are engaged in the production of
Agricultural machinery and components will be displaying their
products at the stalls.
3. India’s two lakhs Gram Panchayats will be connected with
internet, broadband by March 2020.
Note: The union Govt. has set a target to provide internet and
broadband connectivity to two lakh Gram Panchayats by
March 2019. BharatNet project is being implemented in a
phased manner to provide broadband and internet
connectivity to all 2,50,000 Gram Panchayats in the country.
4. The Film Bazaar has been inaugurated by the Information and
Broadcasting Minister Prakash Javadekar on the sidelines of
the golden jubilee edition of the International Film Festival of
India.
Note: It has been organised by the National Film Development
Corporation. The Film Bazaar encourages creative and financial
collaboration between the South Asian and International film
communities. Over the years, films such as Lunch Box,
Margarita with A Straw, Chauthi Koot, Qissa, Miss Lovely, Dum
Lagake Haisha and Thithi have been through one or more
programmes of the Bazaar.
5. The Garden Reach Shipbuilders and Engineers Ltd (GRSE) has
delivered ‘ICGS Amrit Kaur’, third in the series of five fast
patrol vessels (FPV) to Indian Coast Guard.
Note: ICGS Priyadarshini and ICGS Annie Besant are the first
two FPV in the series which has already been delivered to
ICGS. The last two FPVs namely ICGS Kamla Devi and ICGS
Kanaklata Barua will be commissioned shortly, after successful
sea trials.
6. The three-day Global Bio-India Summit 2019 held at Aerocity,
New Delhi.
Note: It will be one of the largest biotechnology stakeholder
conglomerates held in India for the first time. It will bring
academia, innovators, researchers, start-ups, medium and
large companies together on the same platform.
7. As per Swachh Survekshan Grameen 2019 awards, top-ranked
state in the list is Tamil Nadu.
Note: Top-ranked district is Peddapalli (Telangana)
8. The Indian Railway Catering and Tourism Corporation (IRCTC)
will operate and manage luxury train, Golden Chariot from
March 2020.
Note: The Golden Chariot Train (commenced operations in
2008) travels through one of the famous tourists and
picturesque destinations of Karnataka, and Hamp (UNESCO
world heritage site). It has 18 coaches with 44 guest rooms
having a capacity for 84 guests. The train promises to offer
71
world-class comfort, state-of-the-art amenities and enhanced
and unforgettable experience to passengers.
9. The two days Conference of Governors and Lieutenant
Governors (50th) held in New Delhi.
Note: The Conference discussed important thematic issues in
various sessions. It includes tribal issues, reforms in
agriculture, Jal Jeevan Mission, new education policy for higher
education and governance for ease of living.
10. The 2019 NuGen Mobility Summit held at Manesar, Haryana.
Note: The Theme of 2019 is “Smart & Green Mobility”. The
objective of the summit is to share new ideas, learnings, global
experiences, innovations and future technologies trends for
the faster adoption, assimilation and development of
advanced Automotive Technologies for a smarter and greener
future.
11. Union Minister for Jal Shakti Gajendra Singh Shekhawat has
released a short documentary film on Water Conservation
named ‘SHIKHAR SE PUKAR’.
Note: The film has been made to promote 'Jalshakti Abhiyan'
and is based on the Journey of an IAS Officer Ravindra Kumar.
Mr Ravindra Kumar climbed Everest this year to attract the
attention of people from the top of the Everest on the serious
issue of Water Conservation and stopping Water Pollution. It
also picturizes the difficulties and challenges in climbing the
highest peak in the world.
12. The world's biggest Islamic Congregation ‘Aalmi Tablighi
Ijtima’ held at Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
Note: More than one million people from 54 countries are
expected to attend the congregation which will continue till
25th November. It is a forum for delivering some important
religious-spiritual messages to Muslims around the world. The
first Alami Tablighi Ijtima took place in Bhopal in 1944 and only
14 people attended it then.
13. Nitin Gadkari has released a booklet titled 'Convergence of
National Highway improvement/construction with water
conservation and groundwater recharge' at Agro Vision-2019,
Nagpur.
Note: The agriculture exhibition, Agro Vision show (4-Day)
highlight the scope where the Indian agricultural sector can
achieve new height of success. The theme of the 11th
Agrovision has been aptly chosen as "Smart Technologies for
Sustainable Development
14. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh has inaugurated the two-day
Air Force Commanders' Conference in New Delhi.
Note: Top commanders of the Indian Air Force (IAF)is
participating in it. They will discuss the operational,
maintenance and administrative matters related to Air Force.
15. The US State Department cleared the sale of sophisticated
naval guns worth USD 1 billion to India.
Note: The MK-45 guns will enhance India's naval capabilities,
particularly in the Arabian Sea.The Gun System will provide the
capability to conduct anti-surface warfare and anti-air defence
missions while enhancing interoperability with the U.S. and
other allied forces.
16. Oxford Dictionaries has named ‘climate emergency’ as 2019
Word of the Year.
 www.gradeup.co
Note: It also included ‘climate action’, ‘climate denial’, ‘eco-
anxiety’, ‘extinction’ and ‘flight shame’. The word is selected
because it shows the increase in usage since 2018. Climate
emergency defines as “a situation in which urgent action is
required to reduce or halt climate change.
17. Hardeep Singh Puri has launched Credit-linked Subsidy
Services Awas Portal (CLAP) in New Delhi.
Note: The portal provides a transparent and robust real-time
web-based monitoring system for credit-linked Subsidy
Services (CLSS) beneficiaries. Using the portal, a beneficiary
can track his application status in real-time. The initiative
would also benefit other stakeholders to work in synergy to
release subsidy to beneficiaries on time.
18. The Indian Railways has decided to introduce an automatic
train protection system in its entire network of 68,000 km
route.
Note: As a pilot project, the system would be implemented on
650 route km of the golden quadrilateral corridor connecting
the four metros - Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai and Kolkata.
19. ISRO has launched India’s most sophisticated Earth
observation satellite Cartosat-3 and 13 US nanosatellites from
Sri harikota in Andhra Pradesh.
Note: The launch enhanced India's ability in high-resolution
imaging and also reinforce India as a global launch destination
for small satellites using its workhorse rocket Polar Satellite
Launch Vehicle. According to ISRO, the 1,625 kg Cartosat-3 is
an advanced agile satellite to obtain panchromatic and
multispectral imagery with an operational life of five years.
20. Minister of State for Defence Shripad Naik has inaugurated a
two-day seminar "DEFCOM INDIA 2019’ in New Delhi.
Note: The theme of ‘DEFCOM INDIA 2019’ is ‘Communications:
A Decisive Catalyst for Jointness’. The seminar is devoted to
the seminal theme of leveraging communications for achieving
jointness between the three services.
21. The Indian Navy will host military drill ‘Milan 2020’ in March.
Note: MILAN stands for ‘Multilateral Naval Exercise’. 41
nations from South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa and Europe
that share defence cooperation with India have been invited
for the drill.
22. The Indian Railways has set up the Institute of Financial
Management (IRIFM) at Secunderabad, Telangana.
Note: The institute was formally inaugurated by Vinod Kumar
Yadav (Chairman, Railway Board.The new entity (IRIFM) will
impart professional training in the management of railway
finances). Rail Vikas Nigam Limited conceived and constructed
the project, on a 14-acre campus at a cost of Rs 85 crore.
23. The Centre for Water Resources Development and
Management (CWRDM) has launched the Water 4 Change.
Note: Under the project, six prominent institutions from the
Netherlands will perform long-term research and field-level
action on urban water management systems along with Indian
scientists. The project will bring solutions for water problems
in the cities of Kozhikode, Shimla, Bhuj and Bhopal. The
CWRDM was established by the Government of Kerala to cater
to the needs of research and development in water
management of the state.
72
24. Union Minister Piyush Goyal has inaugurated the 2019 Global
Exhibition on Services (5th edition) in Bengaluru, Karnataka.
Note: The inaugural function was also attended by Chief
Minister of Karnataka B. S. Yediyurappa. GES is an annual event
established by the Department of Commerce, Union Ministry
of Commerce and Industry in association with Services Export
Promotion Council (SEPC) and Confederation of Indian Industry
(CII)
25. G Satheesh Reddy has been awarded honorary fellowship by
Royal Aeronautical Society (RAeS) of United Kingdom (UK).
Note: He is the first Indian recipient of the prestigious award in
more than 100 years. It is one of the world’s highest
distinctions for aerospace achievement awarded for only most
exceptional contributions to the aerospace profession. It is
considered as equivalent to Nobel Prize in the aerospace
domain.
26. The sixth Dornier aircraft squadron has been commissioned at
Naval Air Enclave- Porbandar on Gujarat coast Indian Naval Air
Squadron 314.
Note: This squadron will operate the Dornier aircraft, a multi-
role SRMR aircraft, with twin turboprop engine manufactured
by Hindustan Aeronautical Limited, Kanpur.
27. The Aditya Birla Finance Ltd (ABFL) became the first company
to list its commercial papers on the stock exchanges.
Note: The value date of the commercial paper is November 28
and maturity date on February 7, 2020.
28. Union Government has extended the date for making FASTag
mandatory for toll payments on National Highways to 15th
December 2019.
Note: National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) has
equipped all Fee Plazas with Electronic Toll Collection System
and to ease in availability of FASTag. It has also launched
MyFASTag APP whereby all information regarding FASTag can
be obtained.
29. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced a 400 million-
dollar Line of Credit of to Sri Lanka.
Note: India gives priority to its relations with Sri Lanka under
its Neighbour hood First' Policy.
30. Hallmarking for Gold jewellery and artefacts will be mandatory
from 15th January 2021.
Note: More than 26 thousand jewellers have taken the Bureau
of Indian Standards, BIS (Hallmarking) registration till now. If
anyone is found violating the set rules after 15th January 2021,
they may attract a fine of minimum one lakh rupees or five
times the value of the items or a jail term of one year.
31. As per Economist Intelligence Unit's 2019 Global Microscope
on Financial Inclusion report:
Note: India placed among the top nations with the most
conducive environment for financial inclusion in terms of
allowing non-banks to issue e-money.The overall environment
for financial inclusion has improved globally with India,
Colombia, Peru, Uruguay and Mexico have the most favourable
conditions for inclusive finance.
32. Harsh Vardhan inaugurated the National symposium to
eliminate Lymphatic Filariasis in New Delhi.
 www.gradeup.co
Note: The theme of the symposium was “United to Eliminate
Lymphatic Filariasis”. During the symposium, Dr. Harsh
Vardhan signed a ‘Call to Action to eliminate Lymphatic
Filariasis by 2021’. The Lymphatic Filariasis is a disease caused
by a human parasitic worm called Wuchereria Bancrofti and
spread by Culex Mosquitoes.
33. 5th Indo-German Inter-Governmental Consultations held in --
New Delhi.
Note: Prime Minister Narendra Modi and German Chancellor
Angela Merkel co-chaired the 5th Indo-German Inter-
Governmental Consultations to strengthen the "very close"
relationship between the two countries. The two leaders also
discuss bilateral issues including agriculture economic
partnership, trade and investment.
34. Telecom Regulatory Authority of Indian (TRAI) fixed phone
call ring time at 30 seconds on mobiles and 60 seconds for
landline phones.
Note: The time duration of alert for an incoming voice call,
which is neither answered nor rejected by the called party,
shall be thirty seconds for Cellular Mobile Telephone Service
and sixty seconds for Basic Telephone Service. Telecom
operators on their own were reducing incoming call ring time
to attract reverse calls from the subscriber of other networks.
35. According to a new academic paper- written by Santosh
Mehrotra and Jajati K Parida, The total employment during
2011-12 and 2017-18 declined by - 9 million.
Note: It has been published by the Centre of Sustainable
Employment at the Azim Premji University. The paper is based
on both the recent “Employment and Unemployment” and
“Unincorporated Non‐Agricultural Enterprise” survey data of
the National Sample Survey (NSS).
36. Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Delhi is collaborating with
the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) to set up a
space technology cell at the campus.
Note: The cell will work for carrying out focused research
projects in the space technology domain with specific
deliverables. The IIT Delhi celebrating 50thConvocation on 2
November where Dr. K Sivan, Chairman, ISRO will be the chief
guest.
37. Siemens Limited has signed a MoU with NTPC Limited to
identify, evaluate and set up reference use cases of hydrogen
sector-coupling for various upstream and downstream
applications.
Note: The collaboration is aimed at developing innovative
technologies, solutions and techniques to reduce the
dependence on Hydrocarbons in India. Siemens has also inked
a separate MoU with TERI for collaboration on technologies to
support the energy transition in India including sector-
coupling.
38. AYUSH Ministry has Inaugurated National Research Institute
of Unani Medicine for Skin Disorders.
Note: Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for AYUSH
Shri Shripad Yesso Naik inaugurated National Research
Institute of Unani Medicine for Skin Disorders (NRIUMSD) in
Hyderabad. It is upgraded institutions from the Central
Research Institute of Unani Medicine (CRIUM).
73
39. German Chancellor Angela Merkel pledged to invest 1 billion
euros over the next five years on environmentally friendly
urban mobility in India.
Note: Merkel, whose visit to the country coincided with one of
the worst spells of air pollution in Delhi/NCR, also emphasized
on the need to replace diesel-run public transport with electric
vehicles. Germany would also put in 200 million euros to
reform the bus sector in Tamil Nadu.
40. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has inaugurated the 5th India
International Science Festival (IISF) through video conference.
Note: The theme for this year’s festival is RISEN India -
Research, Innovation and Science Empowering the Nation.
41. The Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman unveiled two
new IT Initiatives (ICEDASH and ATITHI) for improved
monitoring and pace of customs clearance of imported goods.
Note: ICEDASH is an Ease of Doing Business monitoring
dashboard of the Indian Customs helping the public see the
daily Customs clearance times of import cargo at various ports
and airports. The ATITHI app will facilitate hassle-free and
faster clearance by Customs at the airports and enhance the
experience of international tourists and other visitors at the
airports.
42. The first-ever containerized cargo movement via the Indo-
Bangladesh protocol route and Brahmaputra river will start
from Haldia (West Bengal).
Note: The vessel MV Maheshwari, carrying 53 containers of
petrochemicals, edible oil and beverage will take 12-15 days to
reach the IWAI terminal at Pandu in Assam’s Guwahati.
National Waterway 2 (NW-2) is a section of the Brahmaputra
River having a length of 891 km between the Bangladesh
border near Dhubri and Sadiya in Assam.
43. Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh has launched a first of
its kind job helpline number (76260-76260) for the
unemployed youth of the state under Ghar Ghar Rozgar’
programme.
Note: The objective of this helpline is to reach every house in
Punjab. In this process, a 110-seat call centre of Punjab Job
Helpline has also been created for the data to be prepared.
44. The first-ever India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise ‘Dustlik-
2019’ has begun at Chirchiq Training Area nearTashkent.
Note: The exercise enabled the sharing of best practices and
experiences between the Armed Forces of the two countries
and will lead to greater operational effectiveness.
45. The Guinness World Records for the largest astrophysics
lesson (45 minutes) and assembly of spectroscopes was
successfully achieved at the Science City, Kolkata (IISF-2019)
Note: Over 1,598 students has participated in the event.
46. Union Minister Prakash Javadekar has attended the 15th
meeting of the Governing Council of South Asia Co-operative
Environment Programme (SACEP) in Dhaka.
Note: The SACEP is an inter-governmental organization which
was established in 1982. Its member countries Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri
Lanka aim to promote and support protection, management
and enhancement of the environment in the region.
 www.gradeup.co
47. Italian movie Despite the Fog is the opening movie at the 50th
edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2019.
Note: The 100-minute film directed by Goran Paskaljevic
narrates the tale of a child whose parents drown while trying
to migrate to Italy in a rubber boat. The 50th edition of IFFI
witnessed the screening of over 200 best films from 76
countries.
48. Union Minister of State for Human Resources Development
Sanjay Dhotre has launched the Shala Darpan Portal of
Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti.
Note: Shala Darpan provides an integrated platform to meet
the educational and administrative needs of all stakeholders-
students, teachers and parents. This will integrate all Jawahar
Navodaya Vidyalayas with a common standard which includes
around 636 schools and 2.67 million students.
49. Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar has released the
fifth edition of Wastelands Atlas - 2019.
Note: The Atlas, published jointly by Department of Land
Resources and National Remote Sensing Centre, provides
robust geospatial information on wasteland.
50. India has decided not to be part of the Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) agreement in
the national interest.
Note: Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced during his
speech at the RCEP Summit in Bangkok. The Regional
Comprehensive Economic Partnership (RCEP) is a proposed
free trade agreement (FTA) between the ten member states of
the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) (Brunei,
Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Myanmar, the
Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam) and its six FTA
partners (China, Japan, India, South Korea, Australia and New
Zealand).
51. Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu inaugurated the 10th Asian
Conference of Emergency Medicine in New Delhi.
Note: Within Asia, EM was first recognized in Singapore in
1984, followed by the Philippines, Turkey, South Korea, Hong
Kong, Taiwan, Malaysia, Japan, Thailand and India.
52. The union minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal inaugurated state of
art railway station in Sultanpur Lodhi. Punjab.
Note: The railway station modelled on Sikh architecture has
been engineered to facilitate pilgrims visiting the holy city. The
Minister also released a book on the life and teachings of Shri
Guru Nanak Dev Ji to commemorate Guru Sahab's 550th
Prakash Purb.
53. The Eleventh edition of Bal Sangam has begun in New Delhi.
Note: The four-day festival will showcase enthralling folk and
traditional performing arts and folk theatre dedicated to
children. As many as twelve States including Assam, Odisha,
Punjab, Rajasthan and Gujarat are participating in the event.
54. A five-judge Constitution Bench headed by Supreme Court
Chief Justice Ranjan Gogoi paved the way for the construction
of a Ram Temple at Ayodhya.
Note: It also directed the Centre to allot an alternative five-
acre plot to the Sunni Waqf Board for building a mosque at a
prominent place in the holy town.
74
55. Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Integrated
check post of Kartarpur Corridor at Dera Baba Nanak in
Punjab.
Note: Mr. Modi flagged off the first batch of over 500 Indian
pilgrims led by Akal Takhat Jathedar Giani Harpreet Singh to
Gurdwara Darbar Sahib through the corridor. The corridor
connects ‘Dera Baba Nanak’ (in Gurdaspur district-India) to the
‘Gurdwara Darbar Sahib’ (in Kartarpur in Narowal district of
Pakistan). The Kartarpur Gurudwara (Darbar Sahib Kartarpur) is
situated on the banks of river ‘Ravi’, considered to be the first
gurdwara ever built.
56. Indian Coast Guard conducted the Regional level Search and
Rescue Workshop and Exercise - 2019 (ReSAREX - 2019).
Note: It conducted this exercise to check the preparedness and
response measures for search and rescue at sea in a
coordinated manner. The two days event organised by the
Coast Guard District Headquarters - 11 (Goa) comprised of
search and rescue workshop and tabletop exercise followed by
search and rescue exercise at sea.
57. India will be the host nation for the ‘No Money For Terror’
Conference to be held in 2020.
Note: The ‘No Money For Terror’ conference is organised by
Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) of over 100 countries, jointly
known as the Egmont Group.
58. The 25th Kolkata International Film Festival (eight-day) held at
the Netaji Indoor Stadium Kolkata.
Note: Bollywood actor Shahrukh Khan inaugurated the festival
at a glittering function at the Netaji Indoor Stadium in the city
in presence of a galaxy of cine personalities and dignitaries of
cultural and sports field. Noted film director Mahesh Bhatt
referred the contribution of Bengal’s Movies in the national
perspective. 213 feature films and 152 short and documentary
films from 76 countries will be screened in 17 venues during
the film extravaganza.
59. The Golden Jubilee of International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
2019 will screen three films for differently abled.
Note: International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2019 will have
the screening of Accessible India Films. This is a collaboration
between IFFI, Saksham Bharat and UNESCO with the aim to
promote the creation of inclusive spaces for the differently
abled to access the joy of cinema through Audio Deion.This
unique film section will witness the screening of three films,
two in Hindi - Lage Raho Munna Bhai and M.S. Dhoni: The
Untold Story and one in Konkani- Questao De Confusao in
Konkani.
60. Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation (MoSPI)
has organized the 27th Conference of Central and State
Statistical Organizations (COCSSO) in Kolkata.
Note: The theme of this year’s Conference “Sustainable
Development Goals (SDGs)”.
61. National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) has
launched its first all-electric experimental aircraft named-- X-
57 ‘Maxwell’.
Note: The first delivery of the all-electric experimental aircraft
was taken from Empirical Systems Aerospace (ESAero) in
California, United States (US). Due to current battery
 www.gradeup.co
limitations, Maxwell's design is envisioned for use in short-haul
flights as an air-taxi or commuter plane for a small number of
passengers.  Note: The year 2018 was historic when leaders from the 10
62. The Union government of India has given approval for setting
up Four medical device parks.
Note: The four parks will be set up in Andhra Pradesh,
Telangana, Tamil Nadu and Kerala. These parks will provide
the necessary infrastructure, where companies can easily plug
and play. The project of Andhra Pradesh Medtech Zone for
creation of Common Facility Centre (CFC) for Superconducting
Magnetic Coil Testing and Research was given in-principle
approval recently.
63. The 50th- edition of International Film Festival of India (IFFI)
showcase Eight movies from Russia.
Note: 'Andrei Tarkovsky: A Cinema Prayer', is one of the
movies to be featured among these Russian movies. The
documentary by Tarkovsky is considered one of his
masterpieces. It recounts the director's life and works told by
himself. In the film, he shares his memories, view of art and
reflections on the destiny of the artist and the meaning of
human existence.
64. Newly discovered species of spider named after Sachin
Tendulkar.
Note: Mr. Dhruv Prajapati is a research scholar from the
Gujarat Ecological Education & Research (GEER) Foundation.
One spider species was named after Indian cricketer Sachin
Tendulkar as “Marengo Sachin Tendulkar”. The other was
named as “Indomarengo chavarapater” after Saint Kuriakose
Elias Chavara, who played a key role in creating awareness on
education in the state of Kerala.
65. The defence ministry is organizing Def-Connect to showcase
the accomplishments of the Innovations for Defence
Excellence (iDEX) initiative in New Delhi.
Note: The conference aims to bring together all stakeholders
of the iDEX ecosystem, Ministry of defence, iDEX selected
startups, Partner Incubators, Defence Innovation Organisation,
Nodal agencies (Indian Army, Navy, Airforce), Defence
Research
66. The 39th edition of India International Trade Fair (IITF-2019)
started at Pragati Maidan, New Delhi.
Note: The theme for the 39th edition of the fair is ‘Ease of
Doing Business’ inspired by India’s unique achievement of
rising to 63rd rank on the World Bank’s Ease of Doing Business
Index from 142nd rank in the year 2014. Several countries,
including Australia, Iran, UK, and Vietnam will participate in the
14-day IITF-2019. This year the status of ‘Partner Country’ has
been accorded to ‘The Islamic Republic of Afghanistan’ and
‘The Republic of Korea’ will be the ‘Focus Country’. Bihar and
Jharkhand will be the focus states in this edition of the fair.
67. Air Chief Marshal RKS Bhadauria has inaugurated the 58th
Indian Society of Aerospace Medicine (ISAM) Annual
Conference at Bengaluru.
Note: The objective of the conference to address
contemporary issues and applications in the subject of
aerospace medicine. The theme for this year’s conference is
‘Changing Paradigms in Aerospace Healthcare’.
75
68. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro will be the Chief Guest at
the Republic Day Parade 2020.
ASEAN nations – Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia, Malaysia, the
Philippines, Singapore, Myanmar, Cambodia, Laos, and Brunei
– were the chief guests at Republic Day celebration. On 26th
January 2020, India will celebrate its 71st Republic Day.
69. India gets USD 43 million from Green Climate Fund to boost
climate resilience.
Note: India kicked-off a USD 43 million project to boost climate
resilience in three coastal states in partnership with the United
Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The project is
funded by the Green Climate Fund, established within the
framework of the United Nations Framework Convention on
Climate Change (UNFCCC) to assist developing countries.
70. Mangala Mani is the first woman scientist to spend 403 days in
Antarctica.
Note: Mani was part of an expedition team that went to
Bharati – India’s research station in Antarctica – in November
2016. She was the only woman in the 23-member-team that
went to the freezing continent this time.
71. The Union Water Resources Ministry has set up a Committee
to draft a new National Water Policy (NWP). The Committee
will be chaired by Mihir Shah.
Note: The committee has 10 principal members, including
Shashi Shekhar, a former secretary of Water Resources, and
A.B. Pandya, former chairman of the Central Ground Water
Board. The NWP currently in force was drafted in 2012 and is
the third such policy since 1987
72. The Supreme Court has held that the office of the Chief Justice
of India (CJI) is a public authority under the Right to
Information (RTI) Act 2005.
Note: The judgment in this regard was made by a five-judge
constitution bench headed by CJI Ranjan Gogoi on November
13, 2019.
73. The first woman Assistant Naval Attache and second woman
defence personnel to be appointed for a diplomatic
assignment in Russia --- Gogoi
74. The 6th World Congress on Rural and Agricultural Finance was
held in New Delhi.
Note: It was jointly hosted by the Asia-Pacific Rural and
Agricultural Credit Association (APRACA), National Bank for
Agriculture and Rural Development (NABARD) and Ministry of
Agriculture, Government of India.
75. India-U.S. tri-services amphibious exercise Tiger Triumph has
begun at Vishakhapatnam.
Note: The training events will enhance U.S.-India military-to-
military relations and hone individual and small-unit skills in
humanitarian assistance and disaster response. The exercise
will include staff-planning events as well as field training that
simulates moving a humanitarian assistance/disaster relief
force from ship to shore.
76. CSIR- IMTECH, Chandigarh has signed a MoU with the Indian
Institute of Technology (IIT) Bombay to promote collaborative
research.
 www.gradeup.co
Note: The objective of this collaboration is to carry out state of
the art research in areas of healthcare especially in projects
and missions where both the institutes can significantly
complement each other.
77. Two-day Regional Conference on the theme: “Replication of
Good Governance Practices in Union Territories of J&K and
Ladakh” has begun in Jammu.
Note: The Conference is organized by the Department of
Administrative Reforms and Public Grievances (DARPG),
Government of India in collaboration with the Government of
Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh.
78. National Initiative for School Heads’ and Teachers’ Holistic
Advancement (NISHTHA) was launched in Jammu and
Kashmir.
Note: The event was attended by around 300 teachers, Key
Resource Persons (KRPs) and Chief Education Officers, DIET
Principals and Educational Administrators. NISHTHA is a
National Mission aimed at improving learning outcomes at
Elementary level through integrated Teacher Training
79. Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has a set up an Online
Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation (OCSAE) Prevention and
Investigation Unit at headquarter in New Delhi.
Note: It has been set up to counter the growing menace of
child porn on the internet. The new specialized unit under the
Special Crime Investigation Wing of the agency will collect
intelligence on those who are allegedly creating and
transmitting such material on the internet.
80. Smriti Irani Inaugurates Bharatiya Poshan Krishi Kosh (BPKK) to
Tackle Malnutrition.
Note: The Poshan Atlas was inaugurated by Smriti Zubin Irani
along with Bill Gates in New Delhi. The Bharatiya Poshan Krishi
Kosh is a repository of diverse crops across 128 agro-climatic
zones to help enable better nutritional outcomes. The Kosh
aims to reduce malnutrition among women and children
October
1. Aarambh: The Centre’s first-ever common foundation
course for the 2019 batch probationer civil servants at the
Statue of Unity in Kevadia, Gujarat.
Note: The theme this year is ‘How to achieve the goal of
making India a 5 trillion Dollar economy.
2. ‘Maharatna’ status has been granted by the Government
to state-owned --- Hindustan Petroleum Corporation
Limited & Power Grid Corporation of India Limited.
3. The Union Cabinet has approved the merger of loss-
making telecom firms BSNL and MTNL
4. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare observed the
Vigilance Awareness Week -- 28th October to 2nd
November 2019.
5. IIM Kozhikode and Mangalore Refineries and
Petrochemicals Ltd. have announced a special drive to
76
across the country, through a multi-sectoral results-based
framework, including agriculture
81. President Ram Nath Kovind presented the prestigious
President's Colour to the Indian Naval Academy at
Kannur,Kerala.
Note: President's Colour is a visible symbol of excellence and is
earned through worthy contribution both during war and
peace.
82. Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOC) has launched a special winter-
grade diesel that remains unfrozen up to minus 33 degree
Celsius.
Note: The fuel would help provide year-round access to snow-
capped border regions and is part of India’s efforts to speed up
strategic road connectivity.
83. UNICEF (United Nations Children’s Fund) has released a 28-
page booklet called ‘From uttapam to sprouted dal parantha’.
Note: It explains that nutritious food prepared at less than 20
rupees will help in dealing with problems like underweight,
obesity and Anaemia in children. The book gives a detailed
break-up of protein, carbohydrate, fat, total fibre, iron, vitamin
C and calcium content of the recipe.
84. The Union Cabinet approved the establishment of the National
Institute for Sowa-Rigpa (NISR) in Leh.
Note: The setting up of the National Institute of Sowa-Rigpa
(NISR) would provide an impetus for the revival of Sowa-Rigpa
in the Indian Sub-continent. It will be an autonomous
organization under the Ministry of AYUSH.
85. RSS Chief Dr. Mohan Bhagwat has inaugurated the
International Principal’s Education Conference (IPEC) at
Nagpur.
Note: Noted mathematician Anand Kumar (Super 30 founder)
was honoured with Nachiketa Sarvottama Award on the
occasion. Mr. Kumar dedicated this award to all the teachers
who are working for the upliftment of underprivileged
children.
support women entrepreneurs in the country -- “La Eve
(meaning The Woman)”
6. United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) has
launched a cinema advertisement campaign to raise
awareness and take steps against hunger and malnutrition
in India -- Feed Our Future.
7. Union Minister Harsh Vardhan has launched the postal
stamp under the ‘Corporate My Stamp’ scheme of India
Posts.
8. NITI Aayog with Institute for Competitiveness as the
knowledge partner released the -- India Innovation Index
(III) 2019.
Note:
• Karnataka is the most innovative major state in
India.
 www.gradeup.co
• Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Telangana, Haryana,
Kerala, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Gujarat, and
Andhra Pradesh form the remaining top ten
major states respectively.
9. National Highway No. 703AA renamed as -- Shri Guru
Nanak Dev Ji Marg.
Note: The road starting from Kapurthala connecting
Goindwal Sahib and terminating near Taran Taran in
Punjab.
10. India’s longest Tunnel Chenani- Nashri on NH 44, in
Jammu and Kashmir will be named after --- Dr Shyama
Prasad Mukherjee (Bhartiya Jansangh Founder).
11. Railways Minister Piyush Goyal flagged off ‘Sewa Service’
trains -- 9.
Note: The trains are – Delhi to Shamli, Bhubaneswar to
Nayagarh town, Murkongselek to Dibrugarh, Coimbatore
to Palani, Coimbatore to Pollachi, Vadnagar to Mehsana,
Asarya to Himmatnagar, Karur to Salem, Yesvantpur to
Tumkur.
12. The All India Institute of Medical Sciences in collaboration
with the Union Health Ministry launched the 1st-ever
website and mobile application on oral health awareness –
eDantSeva.
13. Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina paid a four-
day official visit to India –
• On 03rd October, Bangladesh’s Prime Minister Sheikh
Hasina paid a four-day official visit to India.
33rd India Economic Summit in New Delhi
• Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina was invited as the Chief
Guest at the 33rd edition of the India Economic
Summit which was held in New Delhi.
• The summit was organized by the World Economic
Forum (WEF) in partnership with Confederation of
Indian Industry (CII).
• The theme for the 2019 summit was ’Innovating for
India: Strengthening South Asia, Impacting the World‘.
14. India’s first private train Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express
flagged off – Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
flagged off country’s first private train Delhi-Lucknow
Tejas Express started its maiden journey from Lucknow.
• It will be the first train of Indian Railways that will be
entirely run by Indian Railway Catering and Tourism
Corporation (IRCTC).
• All passengers travelling by Delhi-Lucknow Tejas
Express will be provided free insurance of up to ₹25
lakh by IRCTC.
Note:
• In a first, IRCTC will offer a refund to travellers if the train
gets delayed.
77
• If the Lucknow-Delhi Tejas Express delays for over an hour,
passengers will get a compensation of ₹100.
• For delay of two hours and more, the passengers will
receive ₹250.
15. Jaipur topped the list of cleanest railway stations in the
country - ‘Swachh Rail, Swachh Bharat 2019
• According to the ‘Swachh Rail, Swachh Bharat 2019’
report, Jaipur topped the list of the cleanest railway
station in India.
• Three railway stations of Rajasthan have been
included in the list of top clean railway stations in the
country.
• In the Railway Cleanliness Survey conducted by the
Ministry of Railways, Jaipur Junction has come first,
Jodhpur railway station ranked second and Durgapura
railway station ranked at the third spot.
• A total of 720 stations and were included in the
survey.
• Since 2016, cleanliness survey is carried out by the
Quality Council of India (QCI), an independent body.
Key points of the report - Top 10 cleanest railway station - The
top ten railway stations include seven cities of Rajasthan.
• Jaipur (Rajasthan)
• Jodhpur (Rajasthan)
• Durgapura (Rajasthan)
• Jammu Tawi
• Gandhinagar (Jaipur district)
• Suratgarh (Rajasthan)
• Vijayawada
• Udaipur (Rajasthan)
• Ajmer (Rajasthan)
• Haridwar
Suburban stations - Suburban stations were included for the
first time in this survey.
• Andheri, Virar and Naigaon railway stations were the
top three among 109 suburban stations.
Best railway zone
• The North Western Railway (NWR), headquartered in
Jaipur, has been ranked the best among the 17
railway zones in the country.
• South Eastern Railway ranked at second place was
and East Central Railway ranked at the third spot in
the list.
16. Prime Minister Narendra Modi declares India open
defecation-free – On the occasion of 150th birth
anniversary of Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi,
Prime Minister Narendra Modi declared India as Open
Defecation Free (ODF).
• On 02nd October, 'Swachh Bharat Divas' program was
organized in Sabarmati, Ahmedabad where PM Modi
announced the country to be open defecation free.
 www.gradeup.co
• During the event, the PM Modi released
commemorative Rs 150 coins on Mahatma Gandhi's
150th birth anniversary.
• According to the PM Modi, under the massive,
Swachh Bharat Mission India has built almost 11 crore
toilets for about 60 crore people in just a period of 60
months.
17. Titan MD Bhaskar Bhat retires - The Managing Director
(MD) of Titan company Bhaskar Bhat has retired after 33
years of service in the company on 30th September.
Note: C.K. Venkataraman appointed new MD of Titan - C.K.
Venkataraman has been appointed as the Managing Director
(MD) of Titan company with immediate effect from October 1.
18. CISF to set up permanent deployment at Baglihar Hydro
Electric Power plant – According to sources, the Central
Industrial Security Force (CISF) is all set to have a
permanent deployment of more than 300 highly-trained
personnel at Baglihar Hydro Electric Power plant in Jammu
and Kashmir.
Note:
• Baglihar Dam also known as Baglihar Hydroelectric
Power Project, is a run-of-the-river power project on
the Chenab River in the Ramban district of the Indian
state of Jammu and Kashmir.
19. India’s largest ‘Charkha’ made of waste plastic
inaugurated in Noida – Union Minister Smriti Irani
inaugurated India’s largest ‘Charkha’ made of Waste
Plastic in Noida.
Note:
• This ‘charkha’ (spinning wheel) made of used plastic
waste was inaugurated the eve of Mahatma Gandhi’s
150th birth anniversary.
• The ‘charkha’, which symbolises Gandhi’s dream of
Swadeshi (self-sufficing and self-reliance), measures
14ft, 20ft and 8ft and is made of 1,250 kg of used
plastic.
20. Amit Shah flags off Delhi-Katra Vande Bharat Express –
Union Home Minister Amit Shah flagged off Delhi-Katra
Vande Bharat Express from the New Delhi Railway Station.
• This is the second Vande Bharat Express. The first one
runs in between Delhi and Varanasi.
Note:
• Vande Bharat Express, also known as Train 18, is an
Indian semi-high speed intercity electric multiple unit.
September
1. First Indigenous Fuel Cell System launched on CSIR
Foundation Day – The President of India Ramnath Kovind
78
• It was designed and built by Integral Coach Factory
Chennai under the Indian government's Make in India
initiative over a span of 18 months.
21. Nation pays homage to Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th
birth anniversary on 02nd October 2019
• The Nation pays homage to the Father of the Nation,
Mahatma Gandhi on his 150th birth anniversary today
i.e. 2nd October 2019.
• The nation also remembers Former Prime Minister Lal
Bahadur Shastri on his 115th birth anniversary.
22. India will shift to Bharat Stage Six (BS-VI) vehicular
emission norms from BS IV by April 2020 in order to curb
vehicular pollution. This announcement was made by the
Environment and Forest Minister Mr Prakash Javadekar in
New Delhi.
23. Government launches eDant Seva – On October 7, 2019,
the eDant Seva was launched by the Ministry of Health
and Family welfare. It is an initiative under the National
Oral Health Program.
24. Ganga Aamantran initiative launched by Jal Shakti
Minister – Ganga Aamantran is an initiative to connect
stakeholders of the Ganga river. It is the first effort of
National Mission for Clean Ganga.
25. Govt. launches PRAKASH Portal – To bring better
coordination for coal supplies among all stakeholders,
PRAKASH portal was launched by Union Power Minister
(Independent charge) Raj Kumar Singh and Coal, Mines
and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi.
• PRAKASH stands for - Power Rail Koyla Availability
through Supply Harmony Portal
26. Sarbat Da Bhala Express: Union Ministers Piyush Goyal,
Harsh Vardhan and Harsimrat Kaur Badal flagged off
‘Sarbat Da Bhala Express’ train at New Delhi railway
station.
• The ‘New Delhi-Lohian Khas-New Delhi Intercity
Express’ was recently renamed as ‘Sarbat da Bhala
Express’ by Indian Railways.
• The renamed train will run from New Delhi to Lohian
Khas via holy city Sultanpur Lodhi.
27. Kartarpur corridor: Former PM Manmohan Singh has
accepted Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh's
invitation to join the inaugural event of Kartarpur corridor.
unveiled the first Indigenous High-Temperature Fuel Cell
System.
• This system is developed by Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) in partnership with Indian
 www.gradeup.co
industries under India’s flagship program named
“New Millennium Indian Technology Leadership
Initiative (NMITLI)” on the occasion of CSIR
Foundation Day in New Delhi.
Note:
• The 77th foundation day of Council of Scientific and
Industrial Research (CSIR) was observed on 26th
September 2019.
2. NTPC to build India’s biggest solar park in Gujarat – India’s
National Thermal Power Corporation Limited (NTPC) plans to
set up a 5-gigawatt solar park in the western state of Gujarat,
which would be the biggest in the country.
3. Telecom body approves Rs 8500 crore for mobile towers &
optical fibres – The Digital Communication Commission, the
highest decision making body in the Department of Telecom
has approved multiple projects worth over Rs 8,500 crore.
• The projects aims to set up mobile towers and laying
of optical fibre, with an aim to provide improved
connectivity. The commission also approved a special
scheme to cover upto 12,000 uncovered villages in
aspirational districts.
4. Union HRD Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank launches
WAWE Summit 2019 – Human Resource Development
Minister Ramesh Pokhriyal ‘Nishank’ has launched Waste
Management Accelerator for Aspiring Women Entrepreneurs
(WAWE) summit.
• It will be jointly organized by All India Council for
Technical Education (AICTE) and Institute of Waste
Management (IIWM) at Jaipur.
5. India’s first central police university to come up in Greater
Noida – The country’s first central police university will be set
up by the Union Home Ministry at the Yamuna Expressway in
Greater Noida, Uttar Pradesh.
6. Google announces new AI research lab in India - Google has
announced that it will open an artificial intelligence (AI) based
research lab “Google Research India” in Bengaluru.
• The Indian AI lab will be led by Dr. Manish Gupta, a
renowned computer scientist in the country.
7. India Post expands speed post service to 6 new foreign
countries – India Post expanded speed post service to six new
foreign destinations in Asia, Europe and South America.
• The Department of Posts has announced commencing
of International Speed Post (EMS) Service to Bosnia
and Herzegovina, Brazil, Ecuador, Kazakhstan,
Lithuania and North Macedonia.
8. India’s 1st National Antimicrobial Resistance Hub set up in
Kolkata – India’s first National Antimicrobial Resistance Hub
was recently inaugurated in Kolkata. The Kolkata centre would
be the hub for research on antibiotic resistance not only for
the country but for the entire South Asia.
79
9. India to fund 1000 PhD fellowships for ASEAN students at IITs
– India has formally launched an initiative to fund 1000
scholars from South East Asian countries to pursue PhD at its
23 Indian Institutes of Technology.
• It is a joint initiative of the Ministry of External Affairs
and the Human Resource Development.
• The scheme has an initial budget of Rs. 300 crore.
10. Ravi Shankar Prasad launches Maritime Communication
Services in India – Union Minister for Communications,
Electronics & Information Technology and Law & Justice Ravi
Shankar Prasad has launched the Maritime Communication
Services at Mumbai, Maharashtra.
• Nelco, India’s leading VSAT solutions provider is the
first Indian company that will now provide quality
broadband services to the maritime sector.
11. Centre to set up 12,500 Ayush Health and Wellness Centres –
Union Government has set a target of setting up 12,500 Ayush
Health and Wellness Centres across the country.
• Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and
Homoeopathy Minister Shripad Yesso Naik announced
this during the inauguration of a Unani Medical
Centre and Siddha Clinical Research Unit.
12. PM Modi inaugurates multi-modal terminal at Jharkhand’s
Sahibganj – Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the
second riverine multi modal terminal at Sahibgunj.
Note:
• This is the second of the three Multi Modal Terminals
being constructed on river Ganga under Jal Marg
Vikas Project (JMVP).
• Earlier, in November 2018 the Prime Minister had
inaugurated the MMT at Varanasi.
• The MMTs are being built as part of the Jal Marg Vikas
Project that aims to develop the stretch of River
Ganga between Varanasi to Haldia.
13. 'TB Harega Desh Jeetega': A campaign to eliminate
tuberculosis from India – 'TB Harega Desh Jeetega': Union
Minister for Health and Family Welfare, Dr. Harsh Vardhan has
launched a new ‘TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign’.
• A National TB prevalence Survey was also launched by
the minister. ‘TB Harega Desh Jeetega Campaign’
campaign has been launched with an aim to eliminate
tuberculosis from India.
14. Govt constituted a Sanjay Mitra committee to look into
assets, liabilities of J&K – The government has constituted a
three-member committee to look into the distribution of
assets and liabilities of Jammu and Kashmir between two
successor Union territories. It will come into existence on
October 31.
• Former defence secretary Sanjay Mitra will be the
chairman of the committee. The other members are -
 www.gradeup.co
retired IAS officer Arun Goyal and retired Indian Civil
Accounts Service (ICAS) officer Giriraj Prasad Gupta.
Important point -
• As per Section 84 of the Act, the assets and liabilities
of the existing state of Jammu and Kashmir have to be
apportioned between the Union territories of Jammu
and Kashmir, and Ladakh.
15. PM Modi crosses 50 million followers, becomes third most
followed leader – Prime Minister Narendra Modi has crossed
the mark of 50 million followers on his twitter account,
becoming the third most followed world leader after Donald
Trump and Barack Obama.
• PM Modi is the most followed Indian on Twitter, even
ahead of Bollywood superstars like Salman Khan and
Shahrukh Khan and Indian skipper Virat Kohli.
16. First greenfield industrial smart city opened in Aurangabad
• On 7th September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
inaugurated the Aurangabad Industrial City (Aurik) in
Aurangabad.
• It is the first new smart industrial city in the country
and is spread over 10 thousand acres. It is part of the
Delhi-Mumbai Industrial corridor.
• PM Modi also inaugurated the Auric Hall, a six-storey
building which will be both monitoring and
administrative nerve centre for a smart city.
• He also launched the Auric chatbot that will help
anyone get their problems addressed by the city
administration.
• Developed in the backward Marathwada region of
Maharashtra, this city is being described as the
country's first greenfield industrial smart city.
17. HRD Ministry awarded Institute of Eminence status to 5
public institutions – The Human Resource Development
Ministry has awarded the Institute of Eminence status to 5
public institutions.
• Each of the above university has to sign a MoU with
the HRD Ministry and will lay out its plan to achieve
the objective of becoming a world-class institution.
The public institutions on the list will then be eligible
for a government grant of RS 1,000 crore.
The status was awarded to the following institutions:
• IIT Madras
• IIT Kharagpur
• Delhi University
• Banaras Hindu University
• University of Hyderabad
18. GoI to spend 3.5 lakh crore rupees on Jal Jeevan Mission –
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has announced that the central
government will spend 3.5 lakh crore rupees in the next five
years on ‘Jal Jeevan Mission’ to deliver potable water at every
household across the country.
80
• Jal Jeevan Mission involves saving water and
delivering water at one’s doorstep.
19. Tourism Minister inaugurates first-ever architectural LED
illumination at Qutub Minar – Minister of State for Culture
and Tourism Prahalad Singh Patel inaugurated first-ever
architectural LED illumination at the Qutub Minar.
• With the illumination, the architectural beauty of the
12th-century monument will display its historic
majesty after sunset. Qutb Minar is a UNESCO World
Heritage Site is one of most visited historical site in
Delhi.
20. Delhi’s IGI Airport Gets India’s Tallest ATC Tower – Delhi’s
Indira Gandhi International (IGI) Airport gets India’s tallest ATC
tower to enhance the safety and boost the efficiency of air
transport management services.
• The Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Singh Puri
inaugurated the Delhi Air Traffic Service Complex,
which is the tallest Air Traffic Control tower in India
with a height of 102 metres.
• The tower aims to reduce the pressure on controllers
and provide relief to flyers from delays. The tower has
over 45 workstations with better operational area
visibility. The tower has multilayered security.
21. INX Media case: P Chidambaram sent to Tihar jail till
September 19 - P Chidambaram has been sent to Tihar jail till
September 19, 2019.
• The order was given by Rouse Avenue Court in Delhi
where the CBI's case against the former Finance
Minister in relation to INX Media corruption case was
being heard.
22. Ministry of culture rolls out 25 new mobile science museums
buses – Union Minister of State for Culture and Tourism
(Independent Charge), flagged off the first-ever Mobile Science
Exhibition buses for the entire Ladakh Region in Leh.
• The Minister simultaneously launched 25 new Mobile
Science Exhibition buses for Aspirational Districts of
India.
23. First metro coach manufactured by Bharat Earth Movers
inaugurated by PM Modi
• On 07th September, Prime Minister Narendra Modi
inaugurated the first metro coach manufactured by
Bharat Earth Movers in Mumbai.
• Bharat Earth Movers (BEML) has built it in just 75
days.
• Prime Minister laid the foundation stones for three
Metro corridors worth over 19,000 crore rupees.
• The three corridors, namely Gaimukh-Shivaji Chowk;
Wadala-CST and Kalyan-Taloja are together expected
to carry more than 40 lakh commuters daily.
Note:
 www.gradeup.co
• BEML (formerly known as Bharat Earth Movers
Limited) is an Indian Public Sector Undertaking. Its
headquarters is located in Bengaluru.
24. IIT Delhi to establish shared research infrastructure 'SATHI' –
Indian Institute of Delhi (IIT Delhi) will set up a science and
technology infrastructure facility centre named Sophisticated
Analytical and Technical Help Institute (SATHI).
• The centre will be set up in the Sonepat campus
(Haryana) of IIT Delhi.
• The Department of Science and Technology (DST) has
selected Indian Institute of Delhi (IIT Delhi) for setting
up 'SATHI' centre in the country.
• The main objective of the centre would be is to
provide professionally managed services under one
roof to meet the demands of industry, start-ups and
academia.
25. Income tax dept creates a world record with the filing of 49
lakh ITRs in one day – According to the Income Tax
department, it has created a sort of world record by achieving
a record Income Tax Return filing in a single day.
• While releasing the data on e-filing of ITRs, The
Central Board of Direct Taxes (CBDT) said that the IT
department made history with an all-time high record
of 49 lakh 29 thousand ITRs filed in a single day on
August 31.
26. September month to be celebrated as 'Rashtriya Poshan
Maah' – Prime Minister Narendra Modi in his latest Mann Ki
Baat programme announced to celebrate September 2019 as a
month of nutrition. The month of September will be
celebrated as ‘Poshan Abhiyaan’ or 'Rashtriya Poshan Maah'
across India.
• This year the theme is 'Complementary Feeding'.
About POSHAN Abhiyaan
• The POSHAN Abhiyaan, an overarching scheme for
holistic nourishment, was launched by Prime Minister
Narendra Modi in March 2018 at Jhunjhunu,
Rajasthan.
• POSHAN Abhiyaan (National Nutrition Mission) is a
scheme of Ministry of Women and Child
Development.
State Affairs
December
1. Nagaland Chief Minister Neiphiu Rio has inaugurated the
Multi-Media Exhibition at World War II museum in Kisama.
Note: For the first time in the history of Hornbill festival,
Bureau of Outreach & Communication, Ministry of
Information & Broadcasting is organising a Multi-Media
81
• POSHAN stands for - Prime Minister’s Overarching
Scheme for Holistic Nutrition.
• The Abhiyaan targets to reduce stunting, under-
nutrition, anaemia (among young children, women
and adolescent girls) and reduce low birth weight by
2%, 2%, 3% and 2% per annum respectively.
• The target of the mission is to bring down stunting
among children in the age group 0-6 years from 38.4%
to 25% by 2022.
27. Govt. to set up 12,500 AYUSH Health and Wellness Centres
across country – Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced
government’s target of setting up 12,500 AYUSH (Ayurveda,
Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy)
Centres across India.
• Out of which government is trying to set up 4000 such
centres in 2019 itself. The announcement was made
by PM Modi during giving away Yoga Awards to
winners for Outstanding Contribution for Promotion
and Development of Yoga in New Delhi.
28. Country's longest electrified rail tunnel inaugurated in
Andhra Pradesh – Vice-President of India inaugurated the
country's longest electrified rail tunnel between Cherlopalli
and Rapuru and the electrified railway line between
Venkatachalam and Obulavaripalli in Andhra Pradesh. The
length of the rail tunnel is 6.6 kilometre.
• The South-Central Railway (SCR) zone of the Indian
Railways has commissioned India’s longest electrified
railway tunnel in Andhra Pradesh.
• It is situated between Cherlopalli and Rapuru Railway
stations in Nellore district, Andhra Pradesh.
• The height of the tunnel (rail level to roof) is 6.5
meters and the minimum height of the contact wire is
maintained at 5.2 meters.
29. Union Cabinet chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi has
approved establishment of International Coalition for Disaster
Resilient Infrastructure (CDRI) along with its supporting
Secretariat Office in New Delhi.
• CDRI is proposed to be launched at United Nations
(UN) Climate Action Summit scheduled to be held in
New York, US on 23rd September 2019.
Exhibition commemorating the 150th Birth Anniversary of
Mahatma Gandhi.
2. A three-day Bharatnatyam dance festival with live Carnatic
music ensemble held at Chhayanaut auditorium, Rongarpon.
 www.gradeup.co
Note: It has been Organized by Kolpotoru, artistes Shudha
Srimoyee Das, Shammy Akter and Zuairiyah Mouli will be
presenting their solo recitals respectively on December 2, 3
and 4. Musicians are coming all the way from Bangalore,
India for this festival. These dancers have performed in
various dance festivals in Bangladesh, India and abroad.
3. The Union government and Asian Development Bank (ADB)
have signed the 206-million-dollar loan agreement to
develop water supply and sewerage infrastructure in 5 cities
of Tamil Nadu.
Note: The project will target four cities namely Ambur,
Tiruchirappalli, Tiruppur, Vellore, and Madurai for
developing sewage collection and treatment and drainage
systems. It will also strengthen the capacities of Urban Local
Bodies (ULBs) for improved service delivery.The project will
improve the lives of the urban people in the State by
providing universal access to water supply and sanitation.
4. Meghalaya Chief Minister Conrad K Sangma has inaugurated
the first-ever North East Food Show at Polo Grounds,
Shillong.
Note: The food show will provide a strong platform and
network to different stakeholders. There are different
technologies and products relating to the food industry
which people are not aware of, and the show will serve as
the bridge to connect with one another. It will also be an
opportunity for these majors to source products not
available anywhere else and to introduce their products to
the region
November
1. President Ram Nath Kovind laid the foundation stone to the
memorial being built in memory of the Paika rebellion.
Note: A 200-year-old armed revolt in 1817 against the
British East India Company in Odisha. The proposed project
will come up at the foothills of Barunei hills in Khurda
district, Odisha
2. The Assam Govt. has released the new Land Policy 2019.
Note: The Land Policy has been prepared by the Revenue
and Disaster Management Department after 30 years. (last
prepared in 1989). According to Mr. Sonowal, the state
government has given a lot of emphasis in preparing the
Policy to safeguard the interest of the indigenous people.
3. The Centre and Asian Development Bank (ADB) has signed
an agreement to extend 91 million US dollar loan to
modernize the Vijayanagara Channel Irrigation Systems.
Note: It prepares river basin management plans in the
Krishna river basin. It will help improve irrigation water use
efficiency and contribute to improving sustainable water
security in Karnataka. The investment programme will help
Karnataka’s water agencies better draw up and roll out
effective river basin management plans.
4. A three-day Global Buddhist Congregation has begun at
Nagsenvan in Aurangabad, Maharashtra.
Note: Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama has delivered two
lectures in the Congregation. Buddhist monks and followers
82
5. Union Minister Harsimrat Kaur Badal has inaugurated
Avantee mega Food Park in Dewas. Madhya Pradesh.
Note: This first food park of central India is spread over 51
acres and has been constructed at a cost of about 150 crore
rupees. About 5 thousand local people will get employment
from this Mega Food Park. Processing of soyabean, gram,
wheat and other grains and vegetables will be done in the
park. Warehouses will also be opened in Indore, Ujjain, Dhar
and Agar in the next phases.
6. Chief Minister of Odisha Naveen Patnaik has launched e-
learning mobile app ‘Madhu’ for school students.
Note: It is an e-learning mobile phone application which will
help school students to understand their subjects in a better
and most efficient way. Through this app, the students will
be able to access the video explanation of the topics they
were taught in their classroom. The app is named after
‘Utkal Gourab’ Madhusudan Das, developed by Ganjam
district administration.
7. The Startup India Global Venture Capital Summit-2019 (2nd
edition) held in Goa.
Note: The theme for Startup India Global Venture Capital
Summit 2019 ‘India Opportunity: Investing in tomorrow
together’. The event will be organized by the Department
for Promotion of Industry and Internal Trade (DPIIT), in
partnership with Government of Goa. The key objectives of
the Summit are to show India’s opportunity in the sectors of
E-Mobility, FinTech, MedTech, Enterprise Software, EdTech,
Genomics and Lifesciences.
of the religion from across the globe arrived here to attend
this Congregation
5. Jitendra Singh inaugurates ‘Destination North East’ Festival
in Varanasi.
Note: All 8 North-East states have been presented at the
event along with their handicrafts, handloom, organic
products and cultural troupes. The visitors will have live
experiences of the artisans and artists from the NE states
working on their looms and crafts, performing their songs
and dances in the open stage during the day.
6. The Assam Government will start Arundhati gold scheme by
January 2020 for the registered newly married couples.
Note: Under the scheme, an amount of 30 thousand rupees
will be given to the bride to purchase gold. According to
Assam Finance minister Himanta Biswa Sarma, the scheme is
aimed to promote marriage registrations and prevent under-
age marriages in the state. The annual income of the bride
and her father should not be more than 5 lakh rupees per
year to get the benefit.
7. The Kerala Government has decided to ban the
manufacture, sale and storage of one-time-use plastic
items from 1st of January 2019.
Note: Plastic carry bags, plastic sheets, cooling films, plastic
plates, cups, thermocol and Styrofoam-based items and
others will be covered under the ban. A fine of 10,000
 www.gradeup.co
rupees will be slapped on manufacturers, wholesalers and
small traders who defy the ban. If the ban is violated for the
second time, the fine will be 25,000 rupees.
8. Manipur Chief Minister N. Biren Singh has inaugurated the
week-long Manipur Sangai Festival 2019 at Hapta
Kangjeibung, Imphal.
Note: During the festival, cultural programmes, traditional
games, folk dance and classical music will be performed by
different communities of the State as well as from other
States. The festival will conclude on the 30th of this month.
9. Uttar Pradesh Health & Family Welfare Minister Jai Pratap
Singh has launched a massive immunisation campaign
against the filariasis or Filaria.
Note: Under this campaign, more than 65 thousand teams
of health workers will distribute medicines to around 6.5
crore people till 10 December. This year, state’s 19 districts
have been divided in double drug and triple-drug categories
in which they will be provided DEC tablet, Albendazole and
ivermectin.
10. Gujarat Govt. has announced a relief package 3,795 crore
rupees for farmers who suffered crop loss due to
unseasonal rains.
Note: The relief package will help more than 56 lakh farmers
across the state. According to Deputy Chief Minister Nitin
Patel, total package (1,641 crore rupees) will be given
through a budgetary provision and 2,145 crores under the
State Disaster Response Fund. Farmers will get assistance in
the range of 4,000 rupees to 13,000 rupees
11. The Madhya Pradesh Govt has announced that sports
persons of the state will get 5% reservation in government
jobs.
Note: The Minister also announced that children from all
CBSE, government and private schools would be involved in
the Under 16 state-level Olympics. At present, the
competition is being organized for children above 16 years
of age. It includes 10 sports (hockey, basketball, football,
volleyball, kabaddi, kho-kho, athletics, wrestling, badminton
and table tennis).
12. Odisha Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik has inaugurated the
8th National Tribal Craft Mela at State Tribal Museum
Complex in Bhubaneswar.
Note: As a part of Odisha Government’s ‘5Ts’ initiative, 45
Supplementary Readers prepared in 21 Tribal languages
were released simultaneously by CM Patnaik. The objective
of the National Tribal Craft Mela is to preserve, promote and
popularize traditional tribal art and crafts.
13. Uttar Pradesh, Etawah Lion Safari opened for public without
the lion segment.
Note: The Safari has been inaugurated by the Uttar Pradesh
Forest Minister Dara Singh Chauhan. It is spread in 350
hectares of land and has been developed as an educative
tourist destination for children as well as youths.It is one of
the biggest safari parks in Asia, spread over an area of 350
hectares (860 acres).
83
14. The Uttar Pradesh government will set up state's first
vulture conservation and breeding centre in farenda area of
Maharajganj district.
Note: The new centre will be set up on the lines of Jatayu
Conservation Centre at Pinjore in Haryana (first in the
country). It would be set up in association with Bombay
Natural History Society, a wildlife research organization.
15. The Chhattisgarh state is set to have Guru Ghasidas
National Park in Kotiya district as its fourth ‘tiger reserve’.
Note: At present there are three tiger reserves in state:
➢ Achanakmar Tiger Reserve in Bilaspur.
➢ Udanti-Sitanadi Tiger Reserve in Gariaband,
➢ Indravati Tiger Reserve in Bijapur district.
16. The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved the 2nd
tranche of USD 150 million for West Bengal.
Note: The board of ADB approved a loan of USD 300 million
to continue a comprehensive series of fiscal reforms in West
Bengal to revive the financial health of public sector
enterprises.
17. Assam Government has prohibited manufacture and sale of
gutkha, pan masala or any others chewing material in the
state.
Note: According to Food Safety commissioner, manufacture,
storage, sale, display and transportation of any products
containing tobacco or nicotine are banned in the state for
one year.
18. Shipping Ministry gave approval for the development of
Loktak Inland Waterways improvement project in Manipur.
Note: The estimated cost of the project is over 25 crore
rupees. The Loktak Lake is the largest fresh-water lake in
Northeast located at Moirang in Manipur.
19. According to the Election Commission, Jharkhand assembly
polls will be held in five phases between 30th November to
20 December.
Note: As per the Chief Election Commissioner Sunil Arora,
the polls to 81-member assembly will be held on November
30, December 7, 12, 16 and 20. The counting of votes will
take place on 23rd December. Jharkhand was formed in the
year 2000 by dividing Bihar into two-state.
20. The National Tribal festival (15-day Aadi Mahotsav) held in
New Delhi.
Note: The theme of the festival is a celebration of the spirit
of tribal culture, craft, cuisine and commerce.
21. The French Development Agency (AFD) and Assam govt.
have signed an agreement for supporting Phase II of Assam
Project for Forest and Biodiversity Conservation (APFBC).
Note: The total budget for the second phase is Rs 500 crore.
The project was launched in response to the threats posed
by deforestation, poaching and over-dependence of local
communities on forest resources.
22. The Indian Railways has installed two ‘Health ATMs’ at the
Charbagh railway station in Lucknow.
Note: The kiosks, promoted by YOLO Health ATM, provide
16 health check-ups for Rs 50-100. There are two types of
check-ups a 9-minute one that costs Rs 100, and a 6-minute
one that costs Rs 50.
 www.gradeup.co
23. Sanskrit lovers from 17th countries are attended the three-
day mega event in New Delhi.
Note: According to Minister of State for External Affairs
V.Muraleedharan, Sanskrit continues to be prevalent in the
society as it is used by the people across the country.
24. Cyclone Bulbul claims at least ten lives and affected 2.73
lakh families as it hit the coastal districts of West Bengal.
Note: The cyclone has also damaged hundreds of houses.
Nearly two lakh people have been moved to relief camps set
up in nine places of the state. Hundreds of uprooted trees
have blocked thoroughfares in Kolkata and its fringe areas.
25. Gujarat Govt. has given approval to the world’s first CNG
terminal at Bhavnagar port.
Note: The joint venture of United Kingdom-based Foresight
Group and Mumbai-based Padmanabh Mafatlal Group will
invest 1,900 crore rupees to set up a CNG terminal at
Bhavnagar port. Proposed CNG terminal will have an annual
capacity of 1.5 metric tonnes.
26. As per Maharashtra Governor’s Bhagat Singh Koshyari
recommendation, President Ram Nath Kovind signed a
proclamation imposing President’s rule in Maharashtra.
Note: The state legislative assembly has been kept under
suspended animation. In India, the president's rule is the
suspension of state government and imposition of direct
central government rule in a state.
27. Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani has launched an online
registration portal to facilitate setting up of new MSME
units.
Note: Mr. Rupani approved the first online application
through the portal and issued a certificate through an e-mail
to a woman entrepreneur.
28. The Supreme Court upheld the disqualification of Congress-
JD (S) MLA who had resigned this year 17 MLAs.
Note: Now, the Supreme Court allowed them to contest the
election. The speaker of legislative assembly Ramesh Kumar
had disqualified 17 rebel MLAs before the confidence
motion of the HD Kumaraswamy government in the
assembly. Kumaraswamy's government resigned after failing
to get a trust vote in the assembly.
29. The Haryana government has decided to bring more crops
under its ‘Bhavantar Bharpayee Yojna (BBY)’ scheme.
Note: The decision was taken at a BBY’s review meeting
which was presided by Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal
Khattar. Under BBY scheme, farmers get compensated for
selling their crop at a price lower than that fixed by the
government
30. Defense Minister Rajnath Singh visited Arunachal Pradesh to
attend the Maitree Diwas celebrations (11th edition) at
Tawang.
Note: Maitree Diwas (Civil-Military Friendship) will be
celebrated for two days at Gyalwa Tsangyang Gyatso High
Altitude Stadium Tawang. Mr. Rajnath Singh will also
inaugurate Sisseri River Bridge and National Highway-52 in
East Siang District.
84
31. Haryana Government has constituted an Economic Advisory
Council (EAC) for five years to promote industries in the
state.
Note: The Economic Advisory Council will comprise
membership-based advisory panel and will be headed by the
Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar. This council would be
constituted for 5 years, in which the government members
would remain as permanent members of the council, while
the members of the private sector would serve a term of 2
years.
32. The Uttar Pradesh government has launched a dedicated
web portal and a mobile application for sugarcane farmers
of the state -- e-Ganna App.
Note: The web portal and e-Ganna App will help in
eradicating cane mafia and middleman and strengthen cane
development societies. The portal and the App will ensure
transparency in the process of getting slips and facilitate
sugarcane supply by farmers to mills and check
irregularities.
33. The Assam State Commission for Protection of Child Rights
has launched a mobile app ‘Sishu Suraksha App’.
Note: The purpose of the app is to empower citizens to take
moral responsibility for protecting future generations. The
app can be used by anyone in the state to lodge a complaint
which will be directly registered at Commission.
34. Andhra Pradesh has launched the ‘Nadu-Nedu’ scheme to
introduce English medium from classes 1 to 6th.
Note: The Union government also planning to introduce
another scheme called ‘Amma Vodi’ in January 2020 to give
incentives to others who send their children to school and
continue their education till class 12. In the first phase, the
‘Nadu-Nedu’ programme will be implemented in 15,715
schools. It will cover all schools in three years under a
budget of Rs 12,000 crores.
35. Karnataka Chief Minister B. S. Yediyurappa has inaugurated
the Bengaluru Tech Summit at Bengaluru Place.
Note: More than 3500 delegates, 12,000 visitors and 200
speakers are participating in this Summit. 250 Exhibitors will
showcase their services, products, and technologies to
visitors. The summit is expected to be attended by global
tech leaders, investors, industry captains, research heads,
policymakers and startups from India and 20 foreign
countries.
36. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has inaugurated North
India's first sugar mill in Gorakhpur (Pipraich area).
Note: North India's first sugar mill will produce ethanol
direct from sugarcane.Ethanol is naturally produced by the
fermentation of sugars by yeasts or via petrochemical
processes and is commonly consumed as a popular
recreational drug.
37. The two tea varieties of Darjeeling (green tea and white tea)
have been registered as a geographical indication (GI)
products in the country.
Note: These two varieties of Darjeeling tea have been
registered under Geographical Indications of Goods
(Registration and Protection) Act 1999 (effective from
 www.gradeup.co
October 2019). This will “strengthen the protection of the
intellectual property rights of the Darjeeling tea” which is
considered as “niche and luxury” products in the country
and abroad.
38. Union Minister Harsh Vardhan has launched ‘SAANS’
campaign to reduce child mortality due to pneumonia in
Gujarat.
Note: Mr. Vardhan launched the campaign while
inaugurating the 6th National Summit on Good, Replicable
Practices and Innovations in Gujarat. The objective of the
SAANS campaign to reduce child mortality due to
pneumonia, which contributes to around 15% of deaths
annually of children under the age of five.
39. Union Minister for Rural Development Narendra Singh
Tomar has inaugurated the SARAS India International Trade
Fair in New Delhi.
Note: More than seven crore women have joined Self-Help
Groups so far and the Ministry is making all efforts to take
this number to 10 crores.
40. The Government of India and the Asian Development Bank
(ADB) has signed a loan amount USD 91 million under
Karnataka Integrated and Sustainable Water Resources
Management Investment Program (IWRM).
Note: The project will help to modernize the Vijayanagara
Channel irrigation systems, prepare river basin management
plans in the Krishna river basin that will help improve
irrigation water use efficiency and contribute to improving
sustainable water security in Karnataka.
41. India's biggest cinematic event, the 50th International Film
Festival of India (IFFI) has begun in Panaji, Goa.
Note: Rajinikanth has been conferred with the Special Icon
of Golden Jubilee award for his outstanding contribution to
Indian cinema. French actor Isabelle Huppert honoured with
the Lifetime Achievement Award. Russia is the partner
country of the IFFI 2019.
42. Directorate of School Education (DSEJ), Jammu has
launched a special enrollment drive under the banner 'Aao
School Chalein' for increasing the enrollment in government
schools.
Note: As per the Directorate of School Education, the special
enrollment drive would be conducted across all the villages
October
1. India’s first e-waste clinic to be set up in Bhopal – The
Bhopal Municipal Corporation (BMC) and the Central
Pollution Control Board (CPCB) have joined hands to set up
the country’s first e-waste clinic in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh.
• “Electronic waste will be collected door-to-
door or could be deposited directly at the clinic
in exchange for a fee.
2. PMJAY – Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana –
According to data available with the Union Health
Ministry, in its first year, the Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya
Yojana (PMJAY), the tertiary care arm of Ayushman
85
and catchment areas of the government schools, under the
supervision of chief education officers of all the districts of
Jammu Division. The prime focus of the drive is on the
strengthening of pre-schooling of children in the age group
of 3 to 5 years.
43. Assam Govt. has approved Arundhati scheme to provide 1
Tola Gold to Brides free of cost.
Note: This scheme to give 1 tola Gold (11.66 grams) to
brides parents belonging to the economically weaker
sections of the society, whose annual income is below Rs 5
lakh. The objective of the scheme to reduce child marriage
under the Prohibition of Child Marriage Act that a girl in
India can’t get married before the age of 18 and a boy cant
get married before 21 years of age
44. Uttarakhand govt. has launched a project to connect 500
secondary schools to virtual classrooms.
Note: The schools in the state facing a shortage of teachers
will benefit from the new technology. Virtual classes are
attended through video conferences where students can
meet the teacher on a real-time basis and ask questions. An
estimated 1.90 lakh students of 500 government-run
secondary schools in the state will benefit from the project
45. Haryana Government has decided to create a dedicated
new department namely Department of Foreign
Cooperation.
Note: The department has been created in order to
streamline and provide focus to various initiatives taken by
the state government for the promotion of investment,
employment for youth and welfare of Non-Resident
Indians.The new department will deal in the formulation of
country-wise strategies for the promotion of investment,
employment in the state, education and skill development
and promotion of Haryanvi culture and welfare of Haryanvi
diaspora.
46. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has
inaugurated the newly established Munderwa Sugar Mill in
Basti district.
Note: Munderwa mill will have a capacity of 5000 Tons of
Cane per Day and generate 27 Mega Watt of power. It will
be the third inauguration of sugar mills in the state in just
three weeks (Ramala in Baghpat and Pipraich in Gorakhpur).
Bharat, has funded the treatment of 90,000 cancer
patients through 1.8 lakh hospital admissions.
• Tamil Nadu, with 40,056 cases, tops the state
where the most cancer patients availed
treatment under PMJAY, followed by Kerala
(22,000), Madhya Pradesh (19,455),
Chhattisgarh (15,997) and Gujarat (14,380).
3. Meghalaya govt. signed agreement with Dalmia
Cement to turn plastic waste into Fuel – The
Meghalaya state government signed an agreement with
 www.gradeup.co
Dalmia Cement a cement company, to make the state
plastic-free by 2022.
4. Odisha govt. & UNICEF launched ‘Tikki Mausi’ mascot –
The Department of Women & Child Development and
Mission Shakti, Government of Odisha, in collaboration
with United Nations International Children’s Emergency
Fund (UNICEF) unveiled a mascot named ‘Tikki Mausi’.
• Aim - to spread awareness about nutrition of
children and women.
• The mascot- ‘Tikki Mausi’ aims to change the
behaviour of common people and make them
aware about child and woman’s nutrition and
development in every household.
5. No govt. jobs in Assam for people with more than two
children:
The State Cabinet of Assam has decided to
make government jobs out of bounds for people
with more than 2 children. The policy will come into
effect from January 1, 2021.
The Cabinet also adopted a new land policy
that will make the landless indigenous people
eligible for 3 bighas (43,200 sq. ft.) of land for
farming and half a bigha for constructing a house.
The beneficiary will be able to sell the given
land only after 15 years of use.
6. First Robot Chef Restaurant opens in Odisha:
Odisha’s smart city Bhubaneswar gets it 1st
Robo Chef Restaurant in Odisha.
The Robot Restaurant opened at the Infocity
DLF tower of Bhubaneswar claims to be the first
restaurant in Eastern India where two indigenously
developed robots, ‘Champa’ and ‘Chameli’ are
engaged.
The robots are developed at a Jaipur-based
startup using SLAM technology, and It
automatically navigates like humans, follows the
routes and instructions.
September
1. J&K becomes first state to issue highest number of golden
cards under Ayushman Bharat scheme – Jammu and
Kashmir became the first state in the country to issue the
highest number of golden cards under Ayushman Bharat-
Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY).
• Over 11 lakh golden cards have been
generated within the first 90 days of the launch
of the scheme with 60% of families having at
least one golden card which is highest in the
country.
About Ayushman Bharat scheme
• The Ayushman Bharat Scheme introduced by
the Government of India provides medical
coverage of up to ₹ 5 lakh per family per year.
86
7. Madhya Pradesh CM inaugurates “Magnificent Madhya
Pradesh Conference”:
Chief Minister of Madhya Pradesh Kamal Nath
formally inaugurated the 2-day Magnificent
Madhya Pradesh Conference in Indore.
The event showcasing various opportunities
that exist in the state in variegated sectors, including
food processing, pharmaceuticals, textile and
garment, warehousing and logistics, IT &ESDM,
urban development and renewable energy.
Chief Minister Kamal Nath also inaugurated the
Global Trade Exhibition at the Brilliant Convention
Centre, Indore.
8. Tamil Nadu constitutes two panels over water disputes
with Kerala:
• The Tamil Nadu government constituted two
committees to deal over water disputes with Kerala
relating to the Parambikulam-Aliyar Project (PAP)
and the Pandiyar-Punnampuzha project.
• Secretary of Tamil Nadu’s Public Works Department
(PWD) K. Manivasan would lead both the
committees constituted by the State government.
Cauvery Technical Committee chairperson R.
Subramanian is also part of both the panels
9. Shirui Lily Festival inaugurated in Manipur
• Union Minister of State (Independent Charge) for
Tourism and Culture Prahlad Singh Patel
inaugurated Shirui Lily Festival, 2019 at Shirui
Vangayan Ground of Ukhrul in Manipur.
• Mr Patel along with State Chief Minister N. Biren
Singh also inaugurated the Strength of Unity Statue
as a mark of opening the third edition of the four-
day state festival.
• This joint efforts of the State Government and
Central Government can only promote tourism and
culture of a region to the level of people’s
expectation.
• The scheme will cover 10 crore vulnerable
families, with approximately 50 crore
beneficiaries.
• It was launched on 23rd September 2018 by
Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Jharkhand’s
capital Ranchi.
2. Telangana government declares 2020 as Artificial
Intelligence year – The state government of Telangana has
decided to declare 2020 as Year of Artificial Intelligence.
• The state government will be running multiple
programs, meetings and activities such as
hackathons, master classes and other activities.
• The state government has signed up with NITI
Aayog (National Institution for Transforming
India), which has come out with ‘National
 www.gradeup.co
Strategy for Artificial Intelligence‘ to run pilot
projects in Telangana.
• Telangana was 1st State to sign up with NITI
Aayog when they prepared ‘AI for All’
document.
• IIT- Khargapur is also coming up with its
regional centre in Hyderabad to train students
in AI in partnership with State government.
3. Madhya Pradesh government appointed film star Govinda
as brand ambassador to promote the state’s traditions and
tourist places.
4. Hyderabad-Karnataka Region Renamed ‘Kalyana
Karnataka’ – Karnataka Chief Minister B S Yediyurappa
announced that the Hyderabad-Karnataka region has been
renamed as ‘Kalyana Karnataka’ and a separate secretariat
would be established for its development.
• Hyderabad Karnataka region comprising six
north-eastern districts of the State — Bidar,
Kalaburagi, Yadgir, Raichur, Koppal and Ballari.
5. Dikshi Hydroelectric Project – Arunachal Pradesh Chief
Minister Pema Khandu dedicated the Dikshi Hydroelectric
Project to the people of the state.
• The 24 Mega Watt Hydroelectric Project has
been installed at Dikshi Village in West Kameng
District.
• It is a Run of the River project constructed on
the river Phudung by Devi Energies Private
Limited.
6. U.P. government announces Rs 6,000 annual aid for triple
talaq victims
• Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath
has today announced that the state
government will provide financial assistance of
six thousand rupees to the triple divorce
victims and the women left by the husband.
• The CM said that the government will arrange
for a free trial of women suffering from triple
talaq.
7. Now CM- ministers will fill their income tax in UP – Yogi
Adityanath Government of Uttar Pradesh has ended the 38-
year-old system of paying income tax of the salaries of the
Chief Minister and ministers from the government treasury.
• Now Chief Minister and Ministers will have to
pay their own income tax burdening the
exchequer for the last 40 years.
8. Kerala to open the country's first women's global trade
centre – Taking a major initiative towards promoting women
entrepreneurship, Kerala state government has decided to
set up the country's first International Women's Business
Center (IWTC) in Kozhikode.
9. Maharashtra to set up Swachh Bharat World University
87
• The State Government of Maharashtra has
decided to set up ‘Swachh Bharat World
University’ in Wardha to mark Mahatma
Gandhi’s 150th birth anniversary.
• The University will focus on research studies in
sanitation, cleanliness and environment.
• The State has formed a seven-member
committee headed by the Minister of
Education Vinod Tawde. The committee will
conduct a study on the requirements of the
University.
10. IIT Guwahati & Numaligarh refinery partners to set up
Centre of Excellence – Indian Institute of Technology
Guwahati has joined hands with Numaligarh Refinery
Limited (NRL) for setting up the “NRL-Centre of Excellence
(CoE) for Sustainable Materials”. This is a first of its kind
academic-industrial collaborative venture.
Note:
• The Numaligarh Refinery is located at Morangi,
Golaghat district, Assam.
• It is a joint venture between Bharat Petroleum,
Oil India and Govt of Assam.
11. Google ties up with BSNL; launches free public Wi-Fi in
villages in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Bihar
• Google has announced the partnership with
BSNL which would help its expansion of high-
speed public WiFi to villages in Gujarat,
Maharashtra and Bihar.
• The announcement was done at the Google for
India event which took place in New Delhi on
19th September.
12. Assembly polls in Maharashtra, Haryana to be held on Oct
21 – According to the Chief Election Commissioner Sunil
Arora, the legislative Assemblies election of Maharashtra
and Haryana will go to the polls on October 21. While votes
will be counted on 24 October.
• In Maharashtra, the Legislative Assemblies
elections to be held for 288 seats and 90 seats
in Haryana.
• In the last Legislative Assemblies elections, BJP
won 47 out of 90 seats in Haryana, while in
Maharashtra BJP emerged as the largest party
by winning 122 out of 288 seats.
13. Mukhya Mantri Seva Sankalp Helpline ‘1100’ launched in
Himachal Pradesh - Himachal Pradesh Chief Minister Jai
Ram Thakur has launched Mukhya Mantri Seva Sankalp
Helpline ‘1100’ (Chief Minister’s Service Resolution Helpline)
for speedy and time-bound redressal of public grievances
using modern technology.
• So far, this facility is available in Uttarakhand,
Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh.
 www.gradeup.co
14. Kerala to set up India’s first iWTC in Kozhikode – Kerala will
set up India’s first international women’s trade centre
(iWTC), in consonance with the United Nations sustainable
development goals (SDGs) in Kozhikode.
• The first phase of iWTC, being executed under
the gender park’s “Vision 2020”, is scheduled
to be completed by 2021.
15. Rajasthan launches ‘Jan Soochna Portal’ – The state
government of Rajasthan launched ‘Jan Soochna Portal’, a
portal for quick access to information on government
departments. The portal was launched by Rajasthan’s Chief
Minister Ashok Gehlot.
16. Madhya Pradesh government offers cows for adoption
online – The state government of Madhya Pradesh is
launched an online service for those wanting to adopt a cow
and provide sheds to them at gaushalas (cow shelters)
across the State.
• People can adopt a cow for a minimum period
of 15 days and can go on supporting it till
animal’s lifetime. This initiative is part of
Madhya Pradesh government’s ‘Project
Gaushala’.
17. Maharashtra to have drone service for emergency
medicine and critical care – The Maharashtra government
will now take the help of drones to provide essential
medicines and medical aid to remote areas in case of flood
or other emergency situations.
• For this service, the Government of
Maharashtra has done a partnership with the
Zipline. Zipline is an automated logistics
company based in California.
18. Unani Medical Centre to be inaugurated at Safdarjung
Hospital, New Delhi – Union Minister of State (Independent
Charge) for AYUSH Shripad Yesso Naik will be inaugurating
Unani Medical Centre at New OPD Building in Safdarjung
Hospital, New Delhi
19. Indian Institute of Skills (IIS) to opened in Mumbai,
Maharashtra.
• Objective - To provide skill training in highly-
specialised areas to students who want to
pursue technical education after completing
Class X and XII and also to make them
employable and industry ready for New India
and global market.
20. Garvi Gujarat: 2nd state bhawan of Gujarat inaugurated by
PM Modi
• Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated ‘Garvi
Gujarat’, the second state bhawan of the Gujarat
government in the national capital New Delhi.
• This is the ‘first eco-friendly’ state Bhawan in
national capital.
88
21. Gorewada International Zoo opened in Nagpur – Union
Minister Prakash Javadekar has announced the approval of
the new ‘Gorewada International Zoo’ in Nagpur district of
Maharashtra.
• The Zoo will have attractions like Bio Park, Indian
Safari, African Safari, Night Safari, Research,
Education and Training, facilities for tourists, etc.
• The task of construction of Indian Safari and
ancillary activities, Water Reservoir and Gorewada
Reserve has been given to FDCM Ltd. with
Government Grants.
• The Government of Maharashtra has accorded
permission for establishing the International Zoo,
through Forest Development Corporation of
Maharashtra Limited (FDCM. Ltd.), Nagpur.
Note:
The Gorewada International Zoo is likely to be one of the
largest captive Zoo Safari in India with over 1914 Hectares of
land adjoining the Gorewada Lake.
22. India’s first 'Garbage Cafe' will be opened in Chhattisgarh -
The Ambikapur municipal corporation of Chhattisgarh will
open India’s first 'Garbage Cafe'.
• This cafe offers a full-fledged meal to a person who
collects 1 kg of plastic waste and a substantial
breakfast to those who collect 500 grams.
• This initiative was to ensure that the homeless rag
pickers, who collect plastic waste to earn some
money, had a hearty meal.
• The municipal corporation will provide food to the
poor and homeless in exchange for plastic waste.
23. Khadi and Village Industries Commission (KVIC) launched
first ever ‘Terracotta Grinder’ at Sewapuri in Varanasi, Uttar
Pradesh. This machine will grind the wasted and broken
pottery items for re-using in pottery-making.
24. Haryana govt waives off interest & penalty of Rs 4,750 cr
on crop loans – Haryana government has announced Rs
4,750 crore interest and penalty waiver on crop loans.
• The waive off is for farmers who had borrowed
from Primary Agriculture Cooperative Societies,
District Cooperative Central Banks and Land
Mortgage Bank. The step will benefit around 10
lakh farmers in the state.
25. UDAN regional connectivity scheme launched in Haryana
from Hisar – Hisar, Haryana has entered into the civil
aviation map after the launch of the air shuttle service
between Hisar and Chandigarh.
• SpiceJet has started the air shuttle service between
Hisar and Chandigarh under the Ude Desh Ka Aam
Nagrik (UDAN) Regional Connectivity Service
scheme.
 www.gradeup.co
Arts & Culture
September
1. Festival of Fulpati being celebrated in Nepal – The festival
of Fulpati is being celebrated with gaiety and religious
fervour in Nepal.
• Fulpati is observed on the seventh day of Dashain
festival.
2. Bathukamma-2019: Flower Festival
• Bathukamma, the flower festival of Telangana was
celebrated in state’s Warangal district.
• The nine-day long festival of flowers was celebrated
from 29 September to 6 October 2019.
• Bathukamma marks the beginning of Sharath Ruthu
and it is widely celebrated by young girls and
women.
• The ‘Bathukammas’ are basically the cone shaped
flower stack, at street corners and temples in the
city.
3. Bangladesh lifts ban on Hilsa export to India – Bangladesh
Government will allow 500 tons of Hilsa fish to be exported
to India prior to the eve of Durga Pooja.
• Bangladesh accounts to nearly 75% of world Hilsa
production.
• The government of Bangladesh had imposed ban
on its export to India due to its over – exploitation.
4. Ladakhi Shondol dance enters Guinness book of world
record – Ladakhi Shondol dance has created history by
breaking into Guinness book of world records as the largest
Ladakhi dance.
• The Shondol dance was gracefully performed by
about 408 women artists in traditional dresses on
the occasion of the Annual Naropa Festival.
• Shondol dance also known as the ‘royal dance of
Ladakh’
5. PM Modi, Mongolian President jointly Unveils statue of
Lord Buddha – Prime Minister Narendra Modi and President
August
1. President inaugurates underground Bunker Museum at Raj
Bhavan in Mumbai
• President Ram Nath Kovind inaugurated
underground ‘Bunker Museum‘ at the Raj Bhavan
(official residence of the Governor of Maharashtra)
in state capital Mumbai.
• The bunker was discovered by Maharashtra
Governor Ch. Vidyasagar Rao last year, along with
two identical cannons, atop foothills of Raj Bhavan,
which is situated at the tip of south Mumbai.
89
of Mongolia H.E. Mr Khaltmaagiin Battulga, jointly unveiled
a statue of Lord Buddha and his two disciples, installed at
historic Gandan Tegchenling Monastery in Ulaanbaatar
(Mongolia’s Capital) via videoconferencing from Delhi.
6. UNESCO to publish Guru Nanak Dev’s writing in world
languages – United Nations Educational, Scientific and
Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has decided to translate and
publish an anthology of writings of Baba Guru Nanak Dev,
the founder of Sikhism (and also 1st of 10 Sikh Guru) in
world languages to commemorate 550th birth anniversary
of Guru Nanak Dev.
• The year 2019 mark 550th birth anniversary of Guru
Nanak Dev.
7. Nuakhai Juhar: Odisha’s harvest festival celebrated –
Nuakhai Juhar, a harvest festival welcoming the newly
harvest crop of the season was celebrated in Odisha.
• It is one of the most ancient festivals celebrated in
Odisha to welcome new crop of the season. It is an
important social festival of Western Odisha and is
an agricultural festival.
8. Tamil Nadu’s Dindigul lock and Kandangi saree gets GI tag –
The Geographical Indications Registry (GIR) in Chennai has
accorded coveted Geographical Indication (GI) tag to
Dindigul lock and Kandangi saree from Tamil Nadu. This
takes total number of such indigenous products that have
been accorded GI tag from Tamil Nadu to 31.
9. ‘Namaste Pacific’ Cultural Event held in New Delhi – A
cultural event called ‘Namaste Pacific’ to showcase in India
the culture of Pacific countries such as Australia, New
Zealand, Papua New Guinea and Fiji was held in New Delhi.
• The event was jointly organized by High
Commissions of Australia, New Zealand, Papua New
Guinea, and Fiji.
2. 17 August: Parsi New Year Navroz celebrated – Parsi New
Year, also known as Navroz or Jamshedi Navroz, is
celebrated every year on August 17 to mark the beginning of
the new Iranian calendar.
• In Persian, Nav means new and Roz means day and
together translating to ‘new day’. It is celebrated
for health, wealth, prosperity and productivity.
3. National Tribal Festival ‘Aadi Mahotsav’ organised at Leh-
Ladakh – In a bid to give a fillip to tribal economy in Ladakh,
Aadi Mahotsav or National Tribal Festival will be organised
at Polo Ground, Leh-Ladakh.
 www.gradeup.co
• It is a 9 day festival that will start from 17 August till
25 August 2019.
4. Virasat-e-Khalsa set to enter Asia Book of Records –
Virasat-e-Khalsa museum located in Anandpur Sahib town in
Punjab is set to find a place in Asia Book of Records for
International Affairs
December
1. Minister of State for Human Resource Development Mr
Sanjay Dhotre has inaugurated the India Pavilion at
International Book Fair in Guadalajara, Mexico.
Note: This fair is the biggest book fair in the Spanish-speaking
world. India is the ‘Guest of Honour Country’ in this book fair
and it becomes the first Asian country to participate as ‘Guest
of Honour' in the Fair.
2. UN Climate Change Conference (known as COP25) held in the
Spanish capital Madrid.
Note: COP 25 is an important conference as countries
prepare to move from the pre-2020 period under the Kyoto
Protocol to the post-2020 period under the Paris Agreement.
India's approach will be guided by principles and provisions of
UNFCCC and Paris Agreement particularly the principles of
Equity and Common But Differentiated Responsibilities and
Respective Capability (CBDR-RC). India has been leading the
world in its pursuit of enhanced solar energy capacity through
International Solar Alliance (ISA).
3. The leaders of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO)
mark the 70th birthday of the organization in London.
Note: The summit includes receptions at Buckingham Palace
and Downing Street plus a working session at a golf resort in
outer London. The twenty -nine members alliance is the
world's biggest military alliance.
4. Saudi Arabia has taken over the G20 Presidency from Japan.
November
1. The researchers of the University of Gothenburg in Sweden
have developed Diarrhea vaccine.
Note: Science journal, The Lancet, reports that it has been
proved safe and effective in an early-stage clinical trial in
Bangladesh. The report said that 80 to 100 per cent of the
children aged two to five years and 50 to 80 per cent of
infants aged six to eleven months, selected for the study
responded to all key immunity generating components of the
vaccine.
2. There is no vaccine yet for use for children and vaccine
development for Diarrhea is a World Health Organization
Bangladesh’s State minister of cultural affairs KM Khalid has
inaugurated the Ocean Dance Festival 2019 in Cox Bazar of
Bangladesh.
Note: Ocean Dance Festival is the largest international dance
festival of Bangladesh in which more than 200 dancers,
choreographers and scholars from 15 countries are
participating. The theme of this year's festival is 'Bridging the
90
becoming most visited museum in Asian sub-continent on a
single day. Museum witnessed a record footfall of 20,569
visitors on a single day on 20 March 2019.
Note: It is the first Arab nation to assume the G20 presidency.
The Saudi G20 presidency is committed to continuing the
work from Osaka and promoting multilateral consensus." The
G20 presidency (Saudi Arabia has taken over from Japan) will
host world leaders for a global summit in its capital on 21-22
November in 2020.
8. The Global Migration Film Festival (GMFF) was organized in
Dhaka.
Note: The day-long festival screened 15 films on the theme
of migration and its various aspects. The short films and
documentaries shown during the festival were selected
through a global competition for which 600 entries were
received. The GMFF started in 2016 and this year it is being
organized across many cities in the world between 28
November to 18 December.
9. Israeli student’s made satellite launched from ISRO’s
Sriharikota launch site -- ‘Duchifat-3’
Note: The “Duchifat-3”, “Duchifat-3” is a satellite jointly built
by Herzliya Science Center and Sha’ar HaNegev High School
students of Israel. It is a remote sensing satellite through
which students from all schools across the country will be
able to experiment and carry through Earth observation.
Duchifat-3 weigheing 2.3 kg is a photo satellite to be used for
ecological research of Earth from space.
distance' or Durotter Shetubandhan. The festival is being
organised by the Nrityajog which is the Bangladesh wing of
World Dance Alliance (WDA).
3. Maldives’ former president Abdulla Yameen has been found
guilty of money laundering and sentenced to five years in
prison.
Note: The five-judge bench of the criminal court unanimously
concurred that Yameen is guilty on the charge of laundering
state funds for personal gain. He was accused of over 1
million dollars deposit in his bank account by a company that
was used to channel resort acquisition fees.
4. Pakistan's Supreme Court General Qamar Javed Bajwa
granted a six-month conditional extension to Army chief.
Note: Current Chief of Army Staff of the Pakistan Army Mr.
Bajwa (since 29 November 2016) continue as the Army chief
for another six months. The Chief of Army Staff is appointed
by the Prime Minister of Pakistan and final confirmation by
the President of Pakistan.
 www.gradeup.co
5. India will set up 12 hi-tech parks at a cost of USD 193 million
in Bangladesh.
Note: According to High Commissioner of India to Bangladesh
Riva Ganguly Das, these hi-tech parks will provide training to
30,000 youth of Bangladesh as skilled IT professionals.
6. The 35th ASEAN Summit held in Bangkok, Thailand.
Note:Thailand Prime Minister Prayut Chan -O-Cha
inaugurated this summit at IMPACT convention complex. The
theme of the summit is 'Advancing Partnership for
sustainability'.
7. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh represented India at a
meeting of the council of heads of government (CHG) of
Shanghai Cooperation Organisation (SCO) in Tashkent.
Note: The SCO is an influential regional security grouping
which is seen as a counterweight to NATO. Shanghai
Cooperation Organisation (SCO) is a Eurasian political,
economic and military organisation, which was founded in
Shanghai by the leaders of China, Russia, Kazakhstan,
Kyrgyzstan, and Tajikistan in the year 2001.
8. Russia's newest nuclear submarine was successfully test-fired
a Bulava intercontinental ballistic missile from White Sea off
Russia.
Note: The Knyaz Vladimir, or Prince Vladimir, fired the missile
from underwater that landed on target on the Kamchatka
peninsula in far eastern Russia.
9. The biennial Commonwealth Law Ministers’ Conference held
in Colombo, Sri Lanka 2019.
Note: The Union Minister for Law and Justice Ravi Shankar
Prasad is representing India at the conference. The theme of
the event: “Equal Access to Justice and the Rule of Law”.
Purpose of the event: It seeks to address challenges faced by
millions of people seeking to resolve legal problems or
disputes.
10. Sudan’s first-ever satellite for conducting research in military,
economic and space technology has been launched by China.
11. Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh
Puri has inaugurated a new Guru Nanak Chair at University of
Birmingham.
Note: Mr. Puri also announced the new Chair to mark the
550th Birth Anniversary of Guru Nanak, during his visit to
Birmingham where he delivered an Annual Lecture on the
Contemporary Relevance of Guru Nanak's Teachings.
12. The Ministry of Tourism has participated in the three-day-
long World Travel Market (WTM) in London, UK.
Note: The theme for India Pavilion at WTM 2019 is
‘Incredible India - Find Incredible India’. This year, the 150th
Birth Anniversary of Mahatma Gandhi and the Statue of Unity
are also being promoted and publicized in the India Pavilion
at WTM 2019.
13. Defence minister Rajnath Singh has co-chaired the 19th India-
Russia Inter-Governmental Commission on Military and
Military-Technical Cooperation in Moscow.
14. The US- Bangladesh Navy exercise 'Cooperation Afloat
Readiness and Training (CARAT)- 2019' started in
Chattogram
91
Note: CARAT is one of the U.S. Navy’s longest continually
running exercise in South Asia and Southeast Asia. Assistant
chief of naval staff (operations) Bangladesh Navy rear admiral
M Makbul Hossain was present as the chief guest in the
opening ceremony.
15. According to US Citizenship and Immigration Services
(USCIS), The US has announced the increase of H-1B work visa
application fee by 10 US Dollars.
Note: The non-refundable fee will support the new electronic
registration system to make the H-1B cap selection process
more efficient. Petitioners seeking to file H-1B cap-subject
petitions will first have to electronically register with the
USCIS during a designated registration period.
16. Iran and Russia inaugurated a new phase of construction for a
second reactor at Iran's sole nuclear power plant in Bushehr.
Note: The reactor is one of two officially under construction
since 2017 at the Bushehr site. The landmark 2015 nuclear
deal Iran signed with six major powers, including Russia,
placed restrictions on the sort of nuclear reactor Tehran could
develop and its production of nuclear fuel.
17. Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan visited the United
Arab Emirates (UAE) to attend the inaugural Ministerial
session of Abu Dhabi International Petroleum Exhibition and
Conference.
Note: The Minister is scheduled to meet his UAE counterpart
Minister of Energy and Industry, Suhail Mohamed Faraj Al
Mazrouei. Both the countries will discuss issues of bilateral
hydrocarbon as well as steel sector engagements.
18. BRICS trade ministers meeting has been started in Brasilia.
Note: MoU on trade and investment promotion between
agencies of all the 5 BRICS countries will be signed after the
meeting. Commerce minister Piyush Goyal is leading the
Indian delegation.
19. The fifth edition of Global Exhibition on Services (GES)- 2019
will be held at Bengaluru.
Note: The Global Exhibition on Services is an annual event
which aims to engage industry and governments across the
world and to promote greater exchange of trade in services
between India and the rest of the world. GES 2019 is an
attempt towards escalating the Indian services bar in the
global arena, encompassing participation from 100 countries
and hosting sector-specific knowledge sessions. India is
looking to attract investments and partnerships in strategic
areas like aviation and space programme, infrastructure, and
telecom projects.
20. Prime Minister Narendra Modi attended the 11th BRICS
Summit in Brasilia.
Note: BRICS Business Forum will enhance the business
collaborations between BRICS countries and deepen the
relations with the New Development Bank.The theme of the
Summit this year is "Economic Growth for an Innovative
Future”.
21. India will host 19th SCO Heads of Government Council in
2020.
 www.gradeup.co
Note: It is the first such high-level meeting of the eight-
member grouping to be organised by New Delhi after its
admission into the grouping in 2017.
22. The 6th ASEAN Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus (ADMM-
Plus) held in Bangkok, Thailand.
Note: Defence Minister Rajnath Singh along with 17 other
Defence Ministers of ADMM-Plus countries are attending the
meeting.
23. As per latest Global Bribery Risk Index, Bangladesh has been
identified as the “country with the highest risk” in terms of
bribery threats in South Asia.
Note: India has been ranked at 78th in the Global Bribery Risk
Index out of 178 countries. In South Asia, Pakistan and
Afghanistan are the only countries where the bribery risk is
“high”. The five countries with the lowest bribery risk in the
world are New Zealand, Norway, Denmark, Sweden and
Finland.
24. Pakistan has become the 1st country to introduce the new
vaccine to combat typhoid.
Note: Pakistan has become the first country in the world to
introduce World Health Organisation-recommended typhoid
October
1. Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio named UNESCO Goodwill
Ambassador – The Director-General of UNESCO, Audrey
Azoulay, has named Mexican actress Yalitza Aparicio as a
UNESCO Goodwill Ambassador for Indigenous Peoples.
Note: She is the first indigenous Mexican woman to be so
recognized by the US Academy Awards
2. Palestine has released a commemorative postage stamp on
Mahatma Gandhi, honouring his legacy and values, to mark
the 150th birth anniversary of the world leader.
3. PM Modi inaugurates Metro Service and ENT hospital in
Mauritius – The Indian Government has granted $275
million for the Metro Express project and a grant of $14
million for the new Hospital Project.
4. Typhoon ‘Mitag’ hits Northern Taiwan
5. Mahatma Gandhi’s 80-year-old Letter wishing Jews ‘Era of
Peace’ Unveiled – The National Library of Israel unveiled an
80 – year old handwritten letter by Mahatma Gandhiji on
the day World War II broke out. He had wished the Jewish
people an era of peace in his letter.
• The letter was written by Gandhiji on the occasion
of Jewish new year, that is, on September 1, 1939.
6. World Space Week: 4-10 October: Important Facts – World
Space Week is the largest space event on the Earth. More
than 80 countries are participating commemorating the
week this year
• This year Theme: The Moon: Gateway to the stars.
7. FATF report on money laundering: The Asia – Pacific Group
of FATF (Financial Action Task Force) slammed Pakistan as
the later failed to take actions against terror groups.
92
conjugate vaccine (TCV) in its national immunisation program.
It will initially be used during a two-week immunisation
campaign starting from 18 to 30th November in the urban
areas of Sindh.
25. 1st Indo-Qatari joint Naval Exercise Za’ir-Al-Bahr (Roar of the
Sea) held in Doha.
Note: The Bilateral Maritime Exercise Za’ir-Al-Bahr (Roar of
the Sea) between the Indian Navy and Qatari Emiri Naval
Forces has been started in Doha to enhance interoperability
between the two navies. From the Indian side, Indian Navy
Guided Missile Stealth Frigate INS Trikand and Patrol Aircraft
P8-I are participating in the exercise.
26. As per World Talent Ranking (WTR), for the year 201, India
was ranked at 59th position.
Note: In the released report, India was ranked at 59th
position, a slip by 6 places on a global annual list of 63
countries. The top 10 countries that followed Switzerland
(1st) were Denmark (2nd), Sweden (3rd), Austria (4th),
Luxembourg (5th), Norway(6th), Iceland (7th), Finland (8th),
Netherlands (9th) and Singapore (10th).
• On 5th October, 2019, the group published report
on Money Laundering and terror financing in
Pakistan.
8. Nizam Funds case: India wins £35m worth case at UK court
– India has won a decades-old legal dispute over funds
belonging to the 7th Nizam of Hyderabad at the UK Court.
• The High Court of England and Wales, in a landmark
judgement on October 2, 2019, ruled in favour of
India and the Nizam's descendants and dismissed
Pakistan's claims in a legal battle involving £35m.
• The judgement was delivered by Justice Marcus
Smith. The court ruled that those claiming in right
of Nizam VII- his grandsons and India were now
entitled to the Nizam Funds.
Background –
• Nizam VII, Mir Osman Ali Khan, the last ruler of
Hyderabad had transferred a sum of 1 million pounds
for safe-keeping to Pakistan’s High Commissioner to the
United Kingdom, Habib Ibrahim Rahimtoola, in 1948.
• The money was transferred from the state of
Hyderabad’s bank account to Rahimtoola’s account in
UK’s National Westminster Bank.
• The amount, which has now grown in value to 35
million pounds or Rs 306 crore, continues to remain in
the UK bank.
9. Ecuador to withdraw from OPEC in January 2020 – Ecuador
has announced to withdraw its membership from
Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC)
from 1 January 2020.
 www.gradeup.co
• Ecuador joined OPEC in 1973 had earlier withdrawn
from the bloc in 1992. However, it rejoined the
organization in 2007.
About OPEC –
• The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting
Countries (OPEC) is a permanent intergovernmental
organization of 14 oil-exporting developing nations
that coordinates and unifies the petroleum policies
of its Member Countries.
September
1. Hazzaa al-Mansoori becomes first Arab to reach
International Space Station - Hazzaa al-Mansoori has
created history to become the first Arab to reach the
International Space Station (ISS).
• He was a former military pilot who was selected for
the UAE's new human spaceflight program in 2018.
2. British travel giant Thomas Cook collapses – Britain's 178-
year-old travel company Thomas Cook declared itself
bankrupt.
• Thomas Cook, one of the world's leading travel
companies, said after the private investment and
the government could not get bailout package, the
company decided to close the business with
immediate effect.
• The company was founded in 1841 by Thomas
Cook. Earlier it served domestic travellers in Britain,
later it started taking foreign trips.
3. Thailand 1st in Asia to roll out plain cigarette packaging –
Thailand became the first country in Asia to introduce rolled
out plain cigarette packaging which aims to reduce the
appeal of smoking.
• Keeping a uniform typeface below graphic
depictions of cigarette-related illnesses will make
the products less attractive to buyers
4. PM Modi Inaugurates Gandhi Solar Park at UN
Headquarters – Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated
a 50 kilowatt ‘Gandhi Solar Park’ at the UN headquarters in
New York.
• Prime Minister Modi also inaugurated a Gandhi
Peace Garden at the State University of New York
Campus at Old Westbury in Long Island.
• The world leaders also launched UN postage stamp
on Mahatma Gandhi, commemorating his 150th
birth anniversary.
5. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia to offer tourist visas for the first
time – The kingdom of Saudi Arabia will offer tourist visas
for the first time as part of a push to diversify its economy
away from oil.
6. St. Vincent and Grenadines, 79th country to join India-led
ISA – Saint Vincent and Grenadines became the 79th
country to join the International Solar Alliance (ISA).
93
• It was founded on 14 September 1960 in Baghdad
by the first five members.
• OPEC headquartered is in Vienna, Austria.
• ISA is an initiative by India aimed at combating the
threats of climate change and global warming.
• The International Solar Alliance is a group of 121
solar resource-rich countries with headquarters in
Gurugram, India
7. UNWTO selects India as host country to celebrate World
Tourism Day 2019 – India has been selected as the host
country for celebration of World Tourism Day 2019 by
United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO).
Note:
• This is for the very first time that India will host the
day in its National Capital, New Delhi.
• The World Tourism Day which observed globally on
27 September every year.
• World Tourism Organization headquarters is in
Madrid, Spain.
8. Sri Lanka unveils South Asia’s tallest tower – Sri Lanka
unveiled South Asia’s tallest tower, costing over $100
million, 80% of which has been funded by China under the
controversial Belt and Road Initiative (BRI).
• The 350-metre-tall 17-storey Lotus Tower, located
in the heart of Colombo city.
9. Vietnam opens Southeast Asia’s largest solar power farm –
Vietnam has inaugurated Southeast Asia’s largest solar
power farm which has the capacity to produce 688 million
kWh of electricity annually.
10. Typhoon Faxai hits Tokyo, Japan – Typhoon Faxai has hit
Tokyo, Japan. There were winds of up to 210km/h
(130mph). Faxai is one of the strongest typhoons to hit the
Japanese capital in a decade.
11. Howdy Modi event held in Houston, Texas – Prime Minister
Narendra Modi played host to United States President
Donald Trump at NRG Stadium in Houston, Texas, for an
Indian-American rally dubbed the ‘Howdy Modi: Shared
Dreams, Bright Futures’. The mega ‘Howdy, Modi’ gala event
saw around 50,000 Indian-Americans in attendance.
12. India-Nepal petroleum products pipeline inaugurated –
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Nepal counterpart KP
Sharma Oli jointly inaugurated South Asia’s first cross-
border petroleum products pipeline from Motihari (in
Bihar) in India to Amlekhgunj in Nepal.
 www.gradeup.co
• It is a first-ever cross-border petroleum products
pipeline in the South Asia region.
13. Hurricane Dorian: India has announced an immediate
humanitarian assistance of $1 million to help people in The
Bahamas affected by Hurricane Dorian.
14. India joins Global AMR R&D hub as a new member – India
has joined Global Antimicrobial Resistance (AMR) Research
and Development (R&D) hub as a new member.
• AMR refers to a microbe’s ability to resist the
effects of drugs and medication that once could
successfully treat the microbe.
• The announcement in this regard was made by
Department of Biotechnology, Union Ministry of
Science & Technology in New Delhi.
• The Global AMR R&D hub was launched in May
2018 on the sidelines of 71st session of World
Health Assembly (WHA), following a call from G20
leaders in 2017.
• Global AMR R&D Secretariat: It is established in
Berlin, Germany.
15. WHO South-East Asia Region to eliminate measles &
rubella by 2023 – World Health Organisation South-East Asia
Region have resolved to eliminate measles and rubella by
2023.
• The resolution to eliminate the highly infectious
childhood killer diseases “measles and rubella” was
Sports
December
1. Gurpreet Singh & Sunil Kumar clinched gold medals at the
senior national wrestling championships in Jalandhar.
Note: Gurpreet defeated Sajan Bhanwal by a 3-1 margin, in
the 77-kilogram category. Sunil also managed an easy win
over Punjab's Prabhal. The Railway's grappler used all his
experience to crush the Punjab wrestler 5-1 in the 87 kg
final.
2. Vinesh Phogat & Sakshi Malik registered convincing wins in
the finals to claim gold medals at the Senior Wrestling
National Championships in Jalandhar.
Note: Phogat beat Haryana’s Anju 7-3 in the 55kg
category.Olympic bronze medallist Malik defeated Radhika
(Haryana) 4-2 in the 62kg category.In the 68kg category,
Haryana wrestler Anita Sheoran stunned Commonwealth
Games bronze medallist Divya Kakran.
3. Priyam Garg will lead defending champions India in next
year's Under-19 ICC Cricket World Cup (13th edition) to be
held in South Africa.
Note: India (defending champions) are placed in Group 'A'
with first-time qualifier Japan, New Zealand and Sri Lanka.
Sixteen teams will be taking part in the tournament, split
into four groups of four. The top two teams from each group
94
taken at the 72nd session of the WHO Regional
Committee for South-East Asia in Delhi.
16. US Federal Trade Commission fines YouTube with $170
million – The US’s Federal Trade Commission has fined
Google’s YouTube with $170 million. YouTube will have to
pay $170 million to settle allegations of collecting personal
information about children.
• YouTube has been accused of tracking viewers of
children’s channels using cookies without parental
consent.
• YouTube also used those cookies to deliver million
of dollars in targeted advertisements to those
viewers.
17. India to contribute $22 mn to GFTAM for 2020-22 – India
has announced contribution of $22 million to Global Fund
for AIDS, TB and Malaria (GFTAM) for 6th Replenishment
Cycle (for year 2020-22). This is an increase of 10% over the
amount contributed by India in 5th cycle.
• India stands firm to its long-standing partnership
with Global Fund and its commitment to eliminate
AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria.
18. Indonesia to move capital from Jakarta to East Kalimantan
– Indonesia’s president announced that the country’s capital
will move from overcrowded, sinking and polluted Jakarta to
a site in sparsely populated East Kalimantan province on
Borneo island.
will qualify for the Super League stage, with the bottom two
teams in each group progressing to the Plate League.
4. 13th South Asian Games open in a glittering ceremony held
in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Note: Over 2700 athletes from seven South Asian Countries
participated in the march past. For 10 days biggest sporting
event of South Asia, 2715 athletes (India - 487 athletes)
compete for 1119 medals including 319 Gold in 26 game
categories. The closing ceremony will be held on 10th
December.
5. Karnataka won the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy 2019-20.
Note: Karnataka lifted the Syed Mushtaq Trophy 2019-20
(Cricket) after a thrilling one-run win over Tamil Nadu in the
final. This is the second consecutive title win for Karnataka.
Karnataka rode on skipper Manish Pandey’s 60 runs (45-ball)
to post a total of 180/5 in 20 overs.
6. Steve Smith has become the fastest cricketer to score 7,000
Test runs.
Note: Australian Steve Smith had gone past legendary Don
Bradman's 73-year-old record to become the fastest
batsman to score 7000 runs in just 126 innings. He has a
mountain to climb to reach Ricky Ponting, who amassed
 www.gradeup.co
13,378 runs in his 168 Tests.India’s Virender Sehwag is the
third fastest in 134 innings.
7. British racing driver Lewis Hamilton has won the Abu Dhabi
Grand Prix held in Abu Dhabi UAE.
Note: He has claimed his 84th career victory and 11th in 21
races of this year.Max Verstappen of Red Bull finished 2nd in
the race while Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc finished 3rd in the
race.The 2019 Abu Dhabi Grand Prix (formally known as the
Formula 1 Etihad Airways Abu Dhabi Grand Prix 2019) was a
Formula One motor race held at the Yas Marina Circuit in
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
8. New Zealand cricket team has been awarded the
Christopher Martin-Jenkins Spirit of Cricket award.
November
1. Rafael Nadal has clinched 6th Davis Cup title for Spain.
Note: Nadal (33-year) defeated Shapovalov 6-3, 7-6 (9-7) to
clinch Spain’s 2-0 win against Canada. It was the Spanish
team's first Davis Cup title since 2011 and their sixth Davis
Cup title overall. In 2019, Nadal won the French Open and
the US Open, made the Australian Open final and reached
the Wimbledon semi-final.
2. India's Lakshya Sen has won the Scottish Open men's singles
title in Glasgow.
Note: Lakshya Sen defeated Ygor Coelho 18-21, 21-18, 21-19
to seal his fourth title in three months. Within a month,
Lakshya won his first BWF Super 100 title at the Dutch Open,
with the second one coming soon after, at the SaarLorLux
Open in Germany
3. India concluded its campaign at the Under-15 Asian
Championships with 28 medals (13 gold, 14 silver and a
bronze).
Note: For the first time, India finished on top of the team
rankings in freestyle category with 225 points as all 10
wrestlers finished on the podium. Kazakhstan finished
second while Japan was third.
4. Sangram Dahiya and Varsha Varman clinched double trap
titles, winning gold at the 63rd National Shotgun Shooting
Championship in New Delhi.
Note: In the men's category, Sangram shot 142 out of 150
targets to clinch the gold medal. Former world champion
Ankur Mittal has won Silver and Prithvi Singh Chahal bronze.
5. Eliud Kipchoge & Dalilah Muhammad has won the World
Athlete of the Year awards.
Note: Kipchoge claimed the prize in Monaco after making
history last month when he ran the marathon distance of
42.195 kilometres (26.219 miles) in 1hr 59min 40.2sec.
American Muhammad won her award after a magnificent
year that saw her set a world record of 52.20 seconds at the
US Trials in Iowa in July breaking a record that had stood
since 2003.
6. India won the bid to host 2023 Men's Hockey World Cup.
Note: Kalinga Hockey Stadium in Bhubaneswar and Biju
Patnaik Hockey Stadium Stadium in Rourkela to be the
venues for the tournament. Bhubaneswar has hosted some
95
Note: The team has been awarded for its exemplary show of
sportsmanship during the final match of the ICC World Cup
at Lord’s in July 2019, which it lost under controversial
circumstances. Martin-Jenkins was the former MCC
president and BBC Test Match Special commentator.
9. Virat Kohli regained the top spot in the International Cricket
Council's (ICC) Test rankings in batting.
Note: Australian Steve Smith (923 points) slipped a rung in
the latest list issued in Dubai.Among the bowlers, Jasprit
Bumrah is the highest-placed Indian at the fifth position.
West Indies captain Jason Holder has consolidated his
position at the top of the all-rounders' list.
big international sporting events, including the 2017 Asian
Athletics Championships, 2017 FIH Hockey World League
Final, FIH Men's Series Finals in 2019.
7. Abhishek Verma & Jyothi Surekha Vennam claimed the gold
in compound mixed pair event at the 21st Asian Archery
Championships, in Bangkok.
Note: The Indians defeated Chinese Taipei opponents Yi-
Hsuan Chen and Chieh-Luh Chen 158-151 in the final clash.
India picked up seven medals including one gold, two silver
and four bronze meddles in the event. The Indian archers
participated in the tournament as neutral athletes under the
World Archery flag due to the suspension of the national
federation Archery Association of India (AAI).
8. Deepika Kumari has won gold medal in the women's
individual recurve event of the 21st Asian Championships in
Bangkok.
Note: Deepika defeated Ankita 6-0 in the one-sided final.
Earlier, the duo had secured an individual Olympic quota for
the country by storming into the semi-finals of the event.
9. Justice Mukundakam Sharma committee: Sports Ministry
has constituted a 13-member expert committee to review
the Draft National Sports Code.
Note: Former sports persons Gagan Narang, Bhaichung
Bhutia, Anju Bobby George and national badminton coach
Pulella Gopichand are part of the panel. The panel has been
formed to suggest measures to make the Sports Code
acceptable to all the stakeholders.It will try to strike a
balance between the autonomy of National Sports
Federations vis-a-vis need for transparency and autonomy.
10. C. Mary Kom: included in a 10-member athlete
ambassadors’ group by the International Olympic
Committee (IOC).
Note: The group will represent boxers in the build-up to
next year’s Tokyo Olympics (Tokyo Olympic 2020). C. Mary
Kom will represent the Asian bloc in boxing's athlete
ambassadors’ group.
11. Pooja Gehlot: silver medal in 53kg at UWW Under-23 World
Championships in Budapest.
 www.gradeup.co
Note: Pooja lost 0-2 to Okuno in the summit clash. She had
entered the finals after beating Turkey's Zeynep Yetgil in the
semifinals of the tournament.
12. South Africa defeated England in the final to win the Rugby
World Cup.
Note: South Africa beat England 32-12 in the world cup final
in Japan.
13. Lakshya Sen has won the SaarLorLux Open badminton
tournament at Saarbrücken in Germany.
Note: He defeated Weng Hong Yang of China in an exciting
final last night.
14. Novak Djokovic won the fifth Paris Masters title for 2019 by
defeating Denis Shapovalov in the final.
Note: Djokovic will lose top spot in the rankings to Nadal
next week,but could still equal Pete Sampras' record by
finishing a sixth year as the world's best player.
15. Finnish racing driver Valtteri Bottas has won the Formula
One, United States Grand Prix 2019.
Note: Lewis Hamilton was on second, Max Verstappen on
third, Charles Leclerc on fourth and Alexander Albon on fifth.
16. India B has won the 2019–20 Deodhar Trophy (47th edition)
at JSCA International Stadium Complex, Ranchi.
Note: Deodhar Trophy was contested between three teams
(India-A, India -B and India-C) selected by the Board of
Control for Cricket in India (BCCI).
17. Serbian professional tennis player Novak Djokovic eased to
a record-extending fifth Paris Masters title.
Note: He defeated Canadian youngster Denis Shapovalov 6-
3, 6-4 in the final.
18. Deepak Kumar: won the men's 10m air rifle bronze medal at
the 14th Asian shooting Championships in Doha.
Note: India has already secured nine Tokyo quotas in rifle
and pistol and lies behind China who has 25 quotas and
Korea's 12 in the Asian region, besides the host-country
Japan, in terms of quotas won.
19. Manu Bhaker: He won gold medal in women’s 10m air
pistol event at Doha, Qatar.
Note: She put up a dominant showing, shooting 584 in
qualification and 244.3 in the final to take gold.Vivaan
Kapoor & Manisha Keer also won the Gold medal in junior
trap mixed event at the Asian Shooting Championships 2019.
20. Rohit Sharma has become the first Indian man and second
in world cricket to complete 100 T-20 Internationals.
Note: He reached the milestone when he led the team in the
second match against Bangladesh at the Saurashtra Cricket
Association Stadium. Shoaib Malik with 111 games from
Pakistan is the only player to have played more than 100 T20
Internationals.
21. India will host the 2023 Men's Hockey World Cup from 13th
to 29th January.
Note: The decisions were made during FIH's Executive Board
Meeting in Lausanne, Switzerland.
22. Two-time Olympic champion Nicola Adams will retire
because of fears about her sight.
96
Note: Nicola Adams became the first-ever women's Olympic
boxing champion at London 2012. Adams successfully
defended her title in the 2016 Rio Olympic Games.
23. Kento Momota: China Open 2019 winner.
Note: Japan's Kento Momota (world number -1) defeated
Taiwan's Tien-chen (world number-2) to retain his Fuzhou
China Open Badminton title.Chinese player Chen Yufei
successfully defended the women's title with a victory over
Japan's Nozomi Okuhara. Chen Yufei beat Okuhara 21-9, 21-
12, 21-18.
24. Saurabh Chaudhary has won silver medal in Men's 10m air
pistol event at Asian Championship.
25. India's Javelin thrower Sundar Singh Gurjar has won a gold
medal in the men's F46 javelin throw event at World Para
Athletics Championships in Dubai.
Note: Gurjar came up with his season's best effort of
61.22m to claim the top spot. While Yogesh Kathuniya
added a silver for India in men's discus throw F56 event with
a best throw of 42.05m yesterday.
26. Shafali Verma (15-years- and 285 days) has become the
youngest Indian Cricketer to score a half- century in
International Cricket.
Note: Shafali Verma’s 73 runs (49-ball) in the first T20
International against West Indies surpassing Sachin
Tendulkar’s 30-year-old record. Shafali achieved the feat
surpassing batting legend Tendulkar, who had notched up
his maiden Test fifty at 16 years and 214 days.
27. The 1st South Asian country to call match-fixing a crime --
Sri Lanka.
Note: Sri Lanka has become the first South Asian nation to
criminalize several offenses related to match-fixing. Sri
Lanka parliament passed all three readings of a bill labeled
"Prevention of Offences Related to Sports".
28. Punjab will host the Kabaddi World Cup 2019.
Note: The tournament will be dedicated to the 550th birth
anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev ji (1 to 9 December) Nine
teams -- India, USA, Australia, England, Sri Lanka, Kenya,
New Zealand, Pakistan, and Canada -- are expected to take
part in the tournament.
29. Indian sprinter Dutee Chand has been named in the TIME
100 list of the most influential persons in the world.
Note: The list, an initiative of TIME magazine, highlights 100
rising stars who are shaping the future of business,
entertainment, sports, politics, health, science, activism, etc.
30. England has qualified for the UEFA Euro 2020 football
tournament.
Note: Cristiano Ronaldo scored his 99th international goal as
Portugal secured its place at the Euro 2020 finals. Portugal
are the defending champions, having won the 2016 edition.
For the first time, the video assistant referee (VAR) system
will be used at the UEFA European Championship.
31. Greek tennis player Stefanos Tsitsipas.has won the ATP
Finals in London.
Note: It is Tsitsipas's third title of the season and comes a
year after he was crowned champion at the Next Gen ATP
Finals in Milan. Tsitsipas had qualified for the finals after
 www.gradeup.co
defeating six-time champion Roger Federer in the semi-
finals.
32. Indian women have clinched five gold, while men bagged
two silver at Asian Youth Boxing Championship in Mongolia.
Note: All five women finalists, Naorem Chanu (51kg), Vinka
(64kg) Sanamacha Chanu (75kg), Poonam (54kg) and
Sushma (81kg) won Gold for the country in a phenomenal
sweep.
33. Harmeet Desai has won men’s singles Gold medal at
International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) Challenge
Indonesia Open 2019 Table Tennis tournament.
34. Korean teenager Joohyung Kim has won the 2019 Panasonic
Open India held at Gurgaon, Haryana.
Note: India’s Shiv Kapur and Chikkarangappa S finished tied
second. With this win, the Joohyung Kim has become the
second-youngest winner on the Asian Tour.
35. David Villa: Spanish striker has announced his retirement
from football.
Note: David Villa retired from the national team with 59
goals in 98 matches, making him Spain's all-time top
goalscorer as well as the country's top scorer in the World
Cup, with nine goals.
October
1. Harmanpreet Kaur has become the 1st Indian to play 100
T20 International matches.
2. Japan Open title 2019 -- Novak Djokovic.
Note: He defeated Millman with a score of 6-3, 6-2 and
secured a 76th career singles tournament win.
3. Austria’s Christine Wolf has won the Hero Women’s Indian
Open at Gurugram, Haryana.
4. Japan’s Naomi Osaka has won the China Open held in
Beijing, China.
5. Simone Biles has won the 15th World Gymnastics
Championship title in Stuttgart, Germany.
6. German World Cup champion Bastian Schweinsteiger has
announced his retirement from soccer.
7. India’s M C Mary Kom has won the bronze medal in the
51kg event of World Women’s Boxing Championships in
Russia.
8. Kenya’s Eliud Kipchoge becomes 1st athlete to run sub 2-
hour marathon.
9. Indian shuttler clinched his maiden BWF World Tour title in
the Netherlands-- Lakshya Sen.
10. Manju Rani settled for silver medal in World Women’s
Boxing Championships (in the 48-kilogram category) in
Russia.
11. Priyanshu Rajawat wins men’s singles title at Bahrain
International Series.
12. The International Cricket Council (ICC) has changed the
super-over rule for all its major events
97
36. India-Pakistan Davis Cup tie shifted to Kazakhstan capital
Nur-Sultan from Islamabad.
Note: The Devis Cup tie was scheduled to be held in
September but was pushed to 29-30 November after India
expressed concerns about the safety of their players.
37. Belgian-Dutch racing driver Max Verstappen (with Red Bull)
has won the Formula One Brazilian Grand Prix 2019.
Note: The Ferraris of Sebastian Vettel and Charles Leclerc
clashed in the race due to which Verstappen was able to
take the lead and ultimately win the race. Pierre Gasly
(France) was on the second position and was the first
podium position for him while Lewis Hamilton remained on
the third.
38. Manu Bhaker has become the second Indian shooter to win
a gold medal Women's 10m Air Pistol at the ISS World Cup
2019.
Note: Serbia's Zorana Arunovic won the silver with 241.9,
while Quian Wang of China bagged the bronze with 221.8.
Manu Bhaker shot 244.7 to win the gold medal at World Cup
Finals.
Note:As per new rule, in case of a super over tie, there
will be a repeated super over until one team has more
runs than the other.
13. Mercedes’ Valtteri Bottas won the 2019 Japanese Grand
Prix.
Note: Ferrari’s Sebastian Vettel (Germany) and
Mercedes’ Lewis Hamilton (Britain) were ranked at the
2nd and 3rd places respectively.
14. Zimbabwe and Nepal were re-admitted as ICC members.
Note: Zimbabwe will now be able to take up their place
in the ICC Men’s U19 Cricket World Cup in January and
the ICC Super League later in 2020.
15. The Indian football team won the 3rd Edition of the SAFF U-
15 Women’s Championships 2019 at Changlimithang
Stadium in Thimpu, Bhutan.
16. Yashasvi Jaiswal (17-year) has become the youngest
cricketer in the world to score a double century in One Day
cricket.
17. England all-rounder Jennifer Louise Gunn has announced
her retirement from international cricket.
18. Great Britain won the 9th edition of the Sultan of Johor Cup
2019.
Note: Great Britain defeated India in the finals by 2-1 in
the
19. Kuhoo Garg and Dhruv Rawat won the badminton mixed
doubles title at the Egypt International 2019 in Cairo, Egypt.
 www.gradeup.co
20. Indian cyclist Ronaldo Singh bagged a gold medal in the
men’s junior Keirin event at the Asian Track Cycling
Championships in South Korea.
21. Indian cricketer Rohit Sharma smashed the Don Bradman’s
(former Australia cricketer)record of highest average in Test
cricket on home soil.
Note: He broke record by scoring an average of 99.84.
Bradman, the legendary Australia cricketer had an
average of 98.22.
22. Riya Bhatia has won the ITF women’s tennis tournament in
Lagos, Nigeria.
Note: She defeated Slovenian player Nastja Kolar of
Slovenia 7-5, 1-6, 6-3 in the summit clash of the ITF
women’s tennis tournament.
23. India’s 65th Grandmaster: Raunak Sadhwani.
24. Canadian player Denis Shapovalov has won the Stockholm
Open title 2019.
25. Bengal Warriors wins 7th season of Vivo Pro Kabaddi
League 2019.
Note: Bengal Warriors won their first title by defeating
Dabang Delhi by 39-34 at the EKA Arena by TransStadia
in Ahmedabad, Gujarat.
26. The logo for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games unveiled at a
ceremony in the French capital.
Note: The circular design with Paris 2024 in the art deco
style which was in vogue in 1924 when Paris last hosted
the Games, also incorporates the lips and outline of
Marianne, the personification of the French Republic
since the revolution in 1789.
27. Para-athlete Anandan Gunasekaran has won 2 gold medals
at the 7th CISM World Military Games in Wuhan, China.
28. Graeme Smith (Former South Africa skipper) has been
elected an Honorary Life Member of the Marylebone Cricket
Club (MCC).
29. 1st Indian man to win a gold medal at the Wushu World
Championships-- Praveen Kumar.
30. Mumbai all-rounder has announced his retirement from all
forms of cricket -- Abhishek Nayar.
31. Karnataka has won the 2019-20 Vijay Hazare Trophy.
Note: Karnataka won their 4th Vijay Hazare Trophy title with
a dominant display against Tamil Nadu.
32. Jasprit Bumrah and Smriti Mandhana won Wisden India
Almanack Cricketer of the Year award.
Note: The other 3 winners are Fakhar Zaman (Pakistan),
Dimuth Karunaratne (Sri Lanka) and Rashid Khan
(Afghanistan).The Zozo Championship 2019 tournament title
was clinched by -- Tiger Woods.
33. Mercedes’ driver won the Mexican Grand Prix 2019 -- Lewis
Hamilton.
98
34. Indian men’s doubles pair has won the silver medal in the
men’s doubles event at French Open -- Chirag Shetty and
Satwiksairaj Rankireddy.
35. Indian boxer clinched gold medals in Olympic Test Event for
Boxing in Tokyo, Japan -- Shiva Thapa and Pooja Rani.
36. India’s Prithvi Sekhar wins gold in World Deaf Tennis
Championship.
Note: The 2nd Edition of World Deaf Tennis Championships
2019 was held in Antalya, Turkey.
37. The Indian cricket team will play its first-ever Day-Night Test
match against -- Bangladesh.
38. China Open (tennis) - Japan’s Naomi Osaka has won the
China Open held in Beijing, China. She defeated world
number one Ashleigh Barty in the final.
39. Hero Women’s Indian Open (Golf) - Austria’s Christine Wolf
has won the Hero Women’s Indian Open at Gurugram,
Haryana.
40. Japan Open (Tennis) – Novak Djokovic defeated Australia’s
John Millman in the finals to win the Japan Open title.
41. Ravindra Jadeja becomes second fastest Indian to 200
wickets in Test cricket –
• Ravindra Jadeja became the fastest left-arm bowler
to reach the milestone.
• He became the second Indian bowler to take the
fastest 200 wickets in Test cricket.
• He achieved the feat when he dismissed centurion
Dean Elgar (160) during South Africa's first innings
on the third day, in reply to India's 502 for 7
declared.
42. Professional Cricketers’ Association player of the year –
England all-rounder Ben Stokes has been voted Professional
Cricketers’ Association player of the year at the Professional
Cricketers’ Association awards.
• All-rounder Stokes played a starring role in
England’s maiden World Cup win before
43. Annu Rani becomes 1st Indian to qualify for women's
javelin throw final – India's top female javelin thrower
player Annu Rani made it to the finals of the World Athletics
Championship. She is the first Indian woman to reach the
finals of this event.
44. India gets its first-ever floating basketball court in Mumbai
– The National Basketball Association installed India's first-
ever floating basketball court in Mumbai.
• The basketball court set up in the Arabian Sea near
the Bandra-Worli Sealink.
• India’s first NBA Game to be held in October
• The first NBA game is scheduled to host from
October 4 to October 5 in in the SVP Stadium at
Dome, NSCI, in Mumbai.
 www.gradeup.co
45. India won the under-19 Asia Cup for the 7th time – The
Indian U-19 cricket team has won the Asia Cup for the
second time in a row.
• Team India defeated Bangladesh by 5 runs in a
thrilling final in Colombo, Sri Lanka.
Note:
• India has won the Under-19 Asia Cup title for the
seventh time.
• Earlier India won this title in 1989, 2003, 2012,
2013-14, 2016, 2018.
September
1. India lift SAFF U-18 Championship title for first time
• India won the SAFF Under-18 football
Championship by defeating Bangladesh by 2-1 in
final held in Kathmandu, Nepal. This is India’s
maiden SAFF U-18 trophy.
2. IAAF Council: Adille Sumariwalla re-elected as its member –
The President of Athletics Federation of India (AFI), Adille
Sumariwallam has been re-elected as member of Council of
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF). His
election is for a second four-year term.
International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF)
• It is the international governing body for sport of
athletics.
• It was established on 17 July 1912 in Stockholm,
Sweden. It is headquartered in Monaco.
• Membership: 215 member federations
3. PT Usha honoured with IAAF Veteran Pin – Former athlete
and Olympian PT Usha, known as 'Payyoli Express', has been
awarded the prestigious International Athletics Federation
(IAAF) Veteran Pin Award.
• IAAF chief Sebastian Coe presented her the Veteran
Pin during the 52nd IAAF Congress at Doha.
4. Singapore Grand Prix Formula – Four-time world champion
Ferrari's Sebastian Vettel
5. Rupa Gurunath was appointed as the first woman president
of Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) at the 87th Annual
General Meeting of TNCA in Chennai, TamilNadu.
6. FIFA Football Awards 2019 – The Best FIFA Football Awards
2019 were presented at La Scala opera house in Milan, Italy.
• Best Men’s Player: Lionel Messi of Barcelona &
Argentina
• Best Women’s Player: Megan Rapinoe of Reign FC
& United States
7. World Wrestling Championships: India’s bags 5 medals
• The World Wrestling Championships held in Nur-
Sultan, Kazakhstan.
99
46. Maj Abdul Quadir Khan of the Corps of Signals has won the
Silver medal at the 53rd Asian Body Building and Physique
Sports Championship held at Batam, Indonesia.
47. India’s N. Wilson Singh and Satish Kumar Prahapati won the
gold medal in the 10m platform synchronised diving event at
the Asian Age Group Championships held in Bengaluru.
48. Jamaican sprint legend Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce won gold
medal in 100m race of 2019 IAAF World Championships held
in Doha.
49. Indian fencer Bhavani Devi wins the silver medal in the
women’s sabre individual event at the Tournoi satellite
competition in Belgium.
50. Mercedes Lewis Hamilton won 2019 Russia F1 Grand Prix.
• Rahul Aware bagged a bronze medal in men’s 61kg
category.
• Deepak Punia won silver in men’s 86 kg freestyle.
• Deepak Punia by winning silver has become only
5th Indian to reach the final at senior World
Championships.
• Bajrang Punia won a bronze medal
8. Sumit Nagal wins title at ATP Challenger Tournament –
Indian tennis player Sumit Nagal has won the men’s singles
title at the ATP Challenger Tournament held in Buenos Aires,
Argentina.
9. Advani-Mehta pair wins “IBSF World Snooker” title – The
Indian team of Pankaj Advani and Aditya Mehta to win the
“IBSF World Snooker” title.
• India defeated Thailand in the team event to
emerge World champions in the IBSF World
snooker team event held in Mandalay, Myanmar.
10. Manipur wins Senior Women’s National Football
Championship – Manipur defeated Railways by 1-0 to win
the Senior Women’s National Football Championship held in
Pasighat, Arunachal Pradesh.
• This was Manipur’s 20th National title.
11. Skolkova Fides Grand Prix title 2019 – Indian chess
grandmaster, Koneru Hampi of Gudivada ( Andhra Pradesh)
has clinched Fide World Grand Prix 2019 title.
12. Indian shuttler Malvika Bansod has won the Maldives
International Future Series held in Maldives.
13. Amit Panghal becomes first Indian male boxer to win silver
at World Boxing Championship – Amit Panghal settled for
the silver medal at World Boxing Championships after he
lost to Uzbekistan’s Shakhobidin Zoirov 3-2 in the 52kg
category final.
• He became the first Indian male pugilist to win a
silver in World Championships at Ekaterinburg in
Russia.
 www.gradeup.co
14. The International Cricket Council has banned Sri Lankan off-
spinner Akila Dananjaya from bowling in international
matches for 1 year.
15. India slip to 104th spot in latest FIFA ranking – The Indian
football team slipped a place to 104th position in the latest
FIFA rankings released.
16. Anurag Thakur announces cricket and sports academy for
Leh – Union Minister of State for Finance and Corporate
Affairs Anurag Thakur announced that a cricket and sports
academy will be set up in Ladakh.
17. Vinesh Phogat wins bronze medal in Wrestling World
Championships – Vinesh Phogat won the bronze medal at
the Wrestling World Championships held in Nur-Sultan,
Kazakhstan.
• She defeated Maria Prevolaraki of Greece in the 53
kg freestyle event.
18. Dinesh Mongia announces retirement forms all form of
cricket – Former Indian Cricket all-rounder Dinesh Mongia
announced his retirement from all forms of cricket.
19. Basketball World Cup – Spain defeated Argentina by 95-75
to win the Basketball World Cup held in Beijing, China. The
next world cup will be held in 2023 in Japan, Indonesia and
the Philippines.
• Spain became the fifth country to win the World
Cup 2 times.
20. India’s Kaushal Dharmamer wins Myanmar International
Series – Indian shuttler Kaushal Dharmamer has won the
Myanmar International Series. He defeated Indonesia’s
Karono Karono by 18-21, 21-14, 21-11 in the finals.
21. Lakshya Sen wins Belgian International Badminton title –
Indian Badminton star, Lakshya Sen has won the Belgian
International badminton title.
22. Sourabh Verma clinches Vietnam Open Super 100 title –
Sourabh Verma has won the Vietnam Open Super 100 title
held at the Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.
23. Pankaj Advani became world champion for 22nd time –
Pankaj Advani has become the world champion for the 22nd
time.
• The 34-year-old Advani has won the title of IBSF
World Billiards Championship for the fourth
consecutive time. This is his fifth world title in the
last 6 years in the short format of billiards.
24. Andrew Strauss becomes chairman of ECB’s cricket
committee – Former England captain Andrew Strauss has
been appointed as the chairman of the England and Wales
Cricket Board’s cricket committee.
25. Megan Schutt becomes the first woman to claim two white
ball hat-trick – Australian fast bowler Megan Schutt scripted
history by becoming the first woman to claim two hat-tricks
in white-ball cricket.
100
• The right-arm medium-pacer claimed an ODI hat-
trick to become the first Australian woman to
achieve the feat.
• She became the first Australian women to claim a
hat-trick in ODIs. Schutt had claimed her first
hat-trick in a T20 game against India.
26. Athlete Hima Das named brand ambassador of Gatorade
by PepsiCo – PepsiCo India has roped in India’s star athlete
Hima Das as the brand ambassador for its sports drink brand
Gatorade.
• With this the 19-year old Hima Das joins ace
shuttler PV Sindhu (since 2017) and javelin thrower
Neeraj Chopra (since 2018) as the brand’s
ambassadors in country.
27. Sports Ministry derecognises Paralympic Committee of
India – Union Ministry of Youth Affairs and Sports (MYAS)
derecognised the Paralympic Committee of India (PCI) for
violating National Sports Development Code of India, 2011.
28. Diego Matos banned for a lifetime for match-fixing – Diego
Matos of Brazil was banned for life from professional tennis
for being found guilty of match-fixing.
29. Feroz Shah Kotla stadium renamed after Arun Jaitley –
Feroz Shah Kotla Stadium in Delhi will now be known as
Arun Jaitley Stadium.
• The stadium was renamed on 12 September 2019
in the memory of former Finance Minister of the
country and stalwart BJP leader Arun Jaitley.
30. Sarah Thomas became the first person to swim across the
Channel four times – American Sarah Thomas, 37, became
the first person to swim across the Channel four times non-
stop in a 54-hour feat of endurance.
• A woman who was treated for breast cancer a year
ago has become the first person to swim across the
English Channel four times non-stop.
31. Vinesh Phogat becomes first Indian wrestler to qualify for
the 2020 Tokyo Olympics – Indian women wrestler Vinesh
Phogat has qualified for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics. Vinesh
managed to get an Olympic ticket in the 53 kg category.
• She has become the first Indian woman wrestler to
make it to the 2020 Olympics.
• Vinesh Phogat achieved this feat by defeating Sarah
Hildebrandt of America in the repechage rounder of
the World Wrestling Championship.
Note:
• The International Olympic Committee (IOC. has
selected Tokyo, Japan, to host the Summer
Olympics in 2020. The games are planned to be
held from 24 July to 9 August 2020 in Tokyo.
• The 2024 Summer Olympics will be held in Paris,
France.
www.gradeup.co
• The 2028 Summer Olympics will be held in Los
Angeles, California.
32. Zimbabwe captain Hamilton Masakadza retires from
international cricket – The captain of Zimbabwe cricket
team Hamilton Masakadza retires from International cricket
on 21st September.
• He broke a T20I record in his final international
game against Afghanistan in the ongoing tri-series
also involving Bangladesh.
33. Deepak Punia claims world number 1 spot in 86 kg –
Wrestler Deepak Poonia became the world's number one
wrestler in the 86kg category in the latest rankings released
by the international federation United World Wrestling
(UWW).
34. US Open men's singles title 2019
• Winner - Rafael Nadal (Spain)
• Runner-up - DomDaniil Medvedev (Russia)
Note:
• Spanish tennis star Rafael Nadal has clinched his
fourth US Open title at the Arthur Ash Stadium in
New York.
• With this win, Nadal won the second Grand Slam
this year. He also won the men's singles French
Open title 2019
19th Grand Slam singles title -
• In the men's US Open 2019 final which lasted nearly five
hours, Nadal defeated Medvedev 7-5, 6-3, 5-7, 4-6, 6-4
to win his 19th Grand Slam singles title.
• With this, Nadal is now just a step away from
Switzerland's Roger Federer record of winning the most
Grand Slam title.
• Federer, who was out of the quarterfinals of the US
Open 2019, has recorded 20 Grand Slams title in his
name.
35. Bianca Andreescu wins U.S. Open women’s singles title
2019
• Bianca Andreescu becomes the first Canadian
singles player to win a Grand Slam event.
• She defeated Serena Williams 6-3, 7-5 in her first
Grand Slam title.
• With the victory, Andreescu also jumps into the top
10 in the WTA rankings.
• The 19-year-old teen is also the first woman to win
the trophy in her tournament debut in the US Open
era.
36. India Red clinch Duleep Trophy title
• India Red defeated India Green by an innings and
38 runs to clinch the Duleep Trophy title.
37. Malinga creates history by taking 4 wickets in 4 balls for
the second time in Int'l cricket
101
• Sri Lankan fast bowler Lasith Malinga has taken four
wickets in 4 balls for the second time in his
international career.
• The 36-year-old took his second double hat-trick by
dismissing New Zealand’s Colin Munro, Hamish
Rutherford, Colin de Grandhomme and Ross Taylor
in the third T20I.
• Earlier, he took four wickets in 4 consecutive balls
against South Africa in the 2007 World Cup.
38. Steve Smith becomes 2nd Australian to score 500 in Ashes
series
• On 5th September in the current Ashes series,
Steve Smith scored his third double century against
England.
• With this, he became the second Australian after
Allan Border to score 500 and more runs in the
consecutive Ashes series in England. Smith scored
508 runs in the Ashes series in England which was
held in 2015.
• Allan Border is the first Australian batsman who
scored 500 plus runs consecutively in the Ashes in
England.
• Border scored more than 500 runs in 1981 and
1985.
39. Italian Grand Prix - Ferrari’s Charles Leclerc has won the
Italian Grand Prix.
40. Bianca Andreescu of Canada becomes 1st teen US Open
semi-finalist
• The 19-year-old Canadian, Bianca Andreescu
became the first teen to enter in the semi-finals of
US Open tournament.
• Bianca Andreescu becomes the first teenager to
reach the US Open semi-finals since Caroline
Wozniacki in 2009.
41. Rashid Khan becomes the youngest Test Captain
• Afghanistan leg spinner Rashid Khan created
another record in his name. He has become the
youngest Test Captain in the world at the age 20
years 350 days.
• Rashid Khan achieved this feat when the
Afghanistan team started playing against
Bangladesh.
• Rashid Khan won his first toss as a Test captain and
decided to bat first.
• Before Rashid Khan, the record of captaining the
Test team at the youngest was the name of
Tatenda Taibu of Zimbabwe.
• He first captained against Sri Lanka in 2004. His age
at that time was 20 years 358 days.
42. Mithali Raj retires from T20Is
• Indian women cricketer Mithali Raj announced her
retirement from the T20 International Cricket.
 www.gradeup.co
Note:
• She leads team India in 32 T20 International
matches.
• Three times she has also captained team India in
the ICC Women's World Twenty20.
• She was the first captain of the Indian women's
Twenty20 team in 2006, played a total of 89
International Twenty20 matches and scored 2364
runs.
• She is the highest run-scorer in this format.
• She is also the first Indian woman to reach the
landmark of 2000 T20I runs.
• She hails from Jodhpur, Rajasthan.
43. Rishabh Pant became fastest Indian wicket-keeper to claim
50 dismissals in Test cricket
• Rishabh Pant became fastest Indian wicket-keeper
to claim 50 dismissals in Test cricket.
• He broke previous record held by MS Dhoni for
India.
• Pant claimed his 50th test wicket in his 11th test
during India vs West Indies.
• MS Dhoni had taken 15 tests to get to 50 Test
dismissals.
44. Qatar will host the FIFA World Cup in 2022.
• Qatar will be the first Arab country to host the
World Cup.
45. Zimbabwe captain Hamilton Masakadza has announced to
retire from international cricket.
46. Anupama Swain wins bronze in World Martial Arts
Mastership – Indian woman athlete Anupama Swain won a
bronze medal in the recently concluded World Martial Arts
Mastership Jiu-Jitsu 2019.
• The event was held in Chungju, South Korea. Now
she qualified for 2022 Asian Games. she was the
only Indian to participate in the championship.
• Jiu-Jitsu is a form of martial art and combat sport
and it puts the entire focus on grappling with
particular emphasis on ground fighting.
47. Virat Kohli becomes India's most successful Test skipper
• Virat Kohli surpassed Mahendra Singh Dhoni to
become India's most successful Test captain.
• Virat achieved this feat by winning 28 matches for
India from 48 games.
• It came after the Indian team recorded its 28th win
under Kohli's leadership in the second and final test
against the West Indies at Kingston.
Science & Defense
Military Exercise
102
• MS Dhoni in his captaincy won a total of 27
matches from 60 Test matches.
• Sourav Ganguly with 21 wins and Mohammad
Azharuddin with 14 wins are third and fourth in the
list of successful Indian Test skippers.
• Former South African captain Graeme Smith
remains the most successful skipper in the world
with 53 Test wins, followed by ex-Australia captain
Ricky Ponting, who recorded 48 Test wins in his
captaincy tenure.
48. India beat Nepal 7-0 to lift SAFF Under-15 title
• India defeated Nepal with 7-0 to lift the SAFF
Under-15 title at Kalyanai, West Bengal,
• With this win, India wins the title for a record third
time after previous wins in 2013 and 2017.
• India is now the most successful team in the
tournament's history.
49. Yashaswini Deswal wins gold at ISSF World Cup
• Indian shooter Yashaswini Singh Deswal won gold in
the women’s 10meter Air Pistol event at the ISSF
World Cup at Rio de Janeiro in Brazil.
50. Jasprit Bumrah becomes 3rd Indian to register hat trick in
Test cricket
• Indian pace bowler Jasprit Bumrah has become the
third Indian to register a hat-trick in Test cricket. He
took 3 wickets in 3 successive balls in the 2nd test
against West Indies, held in Kingston, Jamaica. He
dismissed Darren Bravo, Shamarh Brooks and
Roston Chase to claim the hat trick.
• This was the third test hat-trick by an Indian bowler
after Harbhajan Singh and Irfan Pathan.
51. Kenya’s Brigid Kosgei completed the fastest half-marathon
ever ran by a woman.
52. Manu Bhaker and Saurabh Chaudhary won the gold medal
in mixed 10m air pistol at the ISSF World Cup in Rio de
Janeiro.
53. Shot putter Tejinderpal Singh Toor won a silver medal during
an athletic meet at Decin in the Czech Republic.
54. Belgian Grand Prix – Charles Leclerc of Ferrari won the
Belgian Grand Prix after defeating Lewis Hamilton by less
than a second.
55. New head coach appointed of Pakistan Cricket team -
Former captain Misbah-ul-Haq has been appointed as head
coach and chief selector of Pakistan’s cricket team.
Note: Waqar Younis appointed as the team’s new bowling
coach.
www.gradeup.co
November
1. Indian Navy to host multi-nation military drill in March -
- Milan 2020.
Note: 41 nations from South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa
and Europe that share defence cooperation with India
have been invited for the drill.
2. The union Govt. has extended to ban on Assam-based
NDFB by another ---5 years.
3. Mine Counter Measure Exercise-first time between –
India & Japan.
Note: This is first time an explosive ordance disposal
and mine counter measure was held by Indian and
Japanese forces.
4. United States of America (USA) approved Foreign
Military Sale to India
Note: The principal contractor in this India-US defence
deal will be BAE Systems Land and Armaments,
Minneapolis, Minnesota with gun manufacturing in
Louisville, Kentucky.
5. Lieutenant Shivangi: 1st woman pilot of Indian Navy to
join Naval operations.
Note: She will join after naval operations on completion
of operational training at the Southern Naval Command
in Kochi, Kerala
6. The Defense Research and Defense Organization has
allowed free access to its -- 450 patents.
Note: The organization intends to provide a boost to
domestic industries, especially startups and the
strategic sector that has a network of 50 national
laboratories that are involved in research and
development
7. Prithvi-2 missile successfully test fired:
Note: India successfully test-fired two rounds of its
indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II
missile at night as part of a user trial by Indian
Army.These test were conducted from a mobile
launcher from Launch Complex-3 of Chandipur
Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore district of
Odisha. These were second night trials of Prithvi-II
missile.
8. DRDO to double ASTRA’s range: Astra (Sanskrit word
for weapon) is an all-weather air-to-air missile
developed completely by DRDO. Currently, ASTRA is
capable of engaging targets upto a distance of 110 km.
9. The central government has banned Meghalaya-based
insurgent group ‘Hynniewtrep National Liberation
Council’ (HNLC).
Note: The union Govt. also notified that HNLC’s
activities are detrimental to the sovereignty and
integrity of India.
103
10. Pakistan successfully test fires Shaheen-1 surface-to-
surface ballistic missile:
Note: The test come days after India conducted the first
night trial of Agni-II surface-to-surface medium range
nuclear-capable missile having strike range of 2,000 km.
11. A three-day naval exercise is being conducted between
the Indian and Qatar Naval Forces -- Za’ir-Al-Bahr (Roar
of the Sea).
Note: The aim of the exercise is to enhance
interoperability between the naval forces.
12. Indian Army conducts Sindhu Sudarshan exercise in --
Barmer, Rajasthan.
Note:The annual exercise will test the operational
readiness and maneuver warfare capability of Indian
Army’s 21 Corps, one of the service’s three so-called
Strike Corps.
13. India conducted its first night trial of AGNI II missile
successfully: It is the first night trial being tested by the
country. The nuclear capable missile was tested at the
Abdul Kalam Island of Odisha Coast.
14. Defence Minister inaugurates Sisseri River Bridge in
East Siang:The bridge will play an important role in the
overall development of the area and will immensely
contributes to the socio-economic development of the
region.
15. Ministry of Defence showcases the innovations of
iDEX initiative: The main objective of the event is to
showcase the accomplishments of iDEX-Innovations for
Defence Exellence.
16. IAF launches multiplayer version of ‘Indian Air Force –
A Cut Above’ game
Note: The game is a combat simulator that lets the
players choose from an array of IAF’s fighter aircraft,
such as Tejas, Rafale Mirage-2000, Su-30 among others.
17. First Tri-services amphibious exercise between India
and US: India and US are to jointly conduct Tiger
TRIUMP. It is to be conducted in Visakhapatnam and
Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. It includes field training and
events that simulate humanitarian assistance in disaster
times.The event will also hold simulations in moving
disaster relief forces from ship to shore.
18. India- Indonesian Joint Naval exercise: Samudra Shakti
Note: This year is the second edition of India, Indonesia
Bilateral Naval Exercise. The inaugural edition of
exercise was held at the port of Surabaya, Indonesia in
November 2018.
19. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) conducted the ‘Regional
Level Search and Rescue Workshop and Exercise 2019’:
ReSAREX- 19.
 www.gradeup.co
Note: The two-day event was organised by Coast Guard
District Headquarters-11 (Goa) to test efficiency and
preparedness of ICG.
20. DRDO’s Igniter Complex inaugurated in Pune: The
main purpose of the laboratory is to design, process,
evaluate ignition systems for any kind of DRDO projects.
21. US-Bangladesh Navy exercise: CARAT- 2019
Note: The biggest US- Bangladesh Navy exercise dubbed
as ‘Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) –
2019’ is being held in Chattogram (or Chittagong City) in
Bangladesh. The CARAT is a yearly exercise conducted
between the navies of Bangladesh and United States in
the Bay of Bengal. The first edition of exercise was held
in 2011.
22. Shanghai Cooperation Organization Joint Exercise:
SCOJtEx-2019
October
1. Nomadic Elephant 2019 – joint military exercise between
India and Mongolia.
• The exercise will be conducted from 05 Oct 19 to 18
Oct 19 at Bakloh, Himachal Pradesh.
2. ‘Him Vijay’ 2019 – Indian Army’s first and biggest mountain
combat exercise “Him Vijay” for the year 2019 begun at
Arunachal Pradesh.
3. KAZIND -2019: joint military exercise between India and
Kazakhistan held at Pithoragarh in Uttarakhand.
September
1. ‘SLINEX 2019’ - the bilateral maritime exercise between
India and Sri Lanka held at Visakhapatnam (Andhra Pradesh).
2. EX TSENTR 2019: India, Pakistan forces to be part of
military exercise in Russia
• Armies of India, Pakistan will take part in this year’s
military exercise TSENTR 2019 that will be
conducted by Russia from September 9 to 23, 2019.
Note:
• Russia holds major military exercise every year at
one of its four military Commands i.e Vostok (East),
Zapad (West), TSENTR (Centre) and Kavkas (South).
Science & Technology
December
1. NVIDIA announces world’s largest GPU-accelerated cloud-
based supercomputer
104
Note: Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization Joint Exercise on
Urban Earthquake Search and Rescue- ‘SCOJtEx-2019’ in
New Delhi.
23. India Uzbekistan joint Military Exercise: Dustlik 2019
Note: The Defence Minister Shri Raj Nath Singh during
his 3 day visit met the Indian contingent participating in
the joint exercise.
24. Brahmos missile is considered as one of the fastest
supersonic missiles. Philippines army is acquiring Indian-
manufactured weapon in order to strengthen its coastal
defences. In 2018, Indian PM Modi signed 4 bilateral
agreements during his visit to Philippines, and acquiring
Brahmos is one among them.
4. Malabar 2019 – The 23rd edition of the trilateral maritime
exercise of India, Japan and the United States (US)
named “Malabar 2019” exercise was held at Sasebo, Japan.
5. Exercise ‘Chang Thang’ - The Indian Army conducted a
massive rare exercise ‘Chang Thang’ in Eastern Ladakh
bordering China.
6. “SITMEX” - A maiden trilateral exercise SITMEX, involving
Republic of Singapore Navy (RSN), Royal Thailand Navy
(RTN) and Indian Navy (IN) conducted at Port Blair.
7. Maitree 2019 – joint military exercise between India and
Thailand held at Node, Umroi, Meghalaya.
3. AUMX: 1st ASEAN-US Maritime Exercise
• The first ASEAN-US Maritime Exercise (AUMX)
between regional bloc- Association of Southeast
Asian Nations (ASEAN) and United States kicked off
at the Sattahip Naval Base in Thailand.
4. Exercise “Yudh Abhyas 2019” - joint military exercise
between India & US.
• This exercise is being conducted at Joint Base Lewis
Mc Chord, Washington, USA from 05-18 September
2019.
Note: NVIDIA has announced a new kind of GPU-accelerated
supercomputer in the cloud on Microsoft Azure. It enables
customers to rent an AI supercomputer on-demand from
 www.gradeup.co
their desk and match the capabilities of large-scale on-
premises supercomputers.
2. Microsoft rolls out the K12 Education Transformation
Framework in India:
Note: Microsoft rolled out its K12 Education Transformation
Framework more widely to schools across India at the
second edition of the Microsoft Education Days in Gurgaon
Microsoft Education Days 2019 brought together more than
September
1. India International Science Festival to be held in Kolkata –
The 5th edition of India International Science Festival (IISF)
will be held in Kolkata from November 5-8. IISF is the largest
science festival in the world.
2. The theme for this year’s festival is ‘RISEN India – Research,
Innovation, and Science Empowering the Nation’.
Defense News
December/ November
1. Indian Navy to host multi-nation military drill in March -
- Milan 2020.
Note: 41 nations from South Asia, Southeast Asia, Africa
and Europe that share defence cooperation with India
have been invited for the drill.
2. The union Govt. has extended to ban on Assam-based
NDFB by another ---5 years.
3. Mine Counter Measure Exercise-first time between –
India & Japan.
Note: This is first time an explosive ordance disposal
and mine counter measure was held by Indian and
Japanese forces.
4. United States of America (USA) approved Foreign
Military Sale to India
Note: The principal contractor in this India-US defence
deal will be BAE Systems Land and Armaments,
Minneapolis, Minnesota with gun manufacturing in
Louisville, Kentucky.
5. Lieutenant Shivangi: 1st woman pilot of Indian Navy to
join Naval operations.
Note: She will join after naval operations on completion
of operational training at the Southern Naval Command
in Kochi, Kerala
6. The Defense Research and Defense Organization has
allowed free access to its -- 450 patents.
Note: The organization intends to provide a boost to
domestic industries, especially startups and the
strategic sector that has a network of 50 national
laboratories that are involved in research and
development
7. Prithvi-2 missile successfully test fired:
Note: India successfully test-fired two rounds of its
indigenously developed nuclear-capable Prithvi-II
105
700 school leaders, educators, students and Microsoft
partners to deliberate on the future of learning.
3. ISRO transfer space-grade Li-Ion cell technology to BHEL
Note: ISRO has transferred its indigenous technology to
produce space-grade Li-Ion cells to Bharat Heavy Electricals
Limited (BHEL). BHEL can also produce and sell Li-Ion cells
for meeting other national/commercial applications by
suitably modifying the space-grade cell which can lead to
cost reduction.
3. National Institute of Ocean Technology (NIOT) will launch
‘Samudrayaan project by 2021-22 to explore the deep sea
region.
• It is pilot project of Union Ministry of Earth Sciences
as part the Rs 6000 crore ‘Deep Ocean’ mission for
deep ocean mining of rare minerals.
missile at night as part of a user trial by Indian
Army.These test were conducted from a mobile
launcher from Launch Complex-3 of Chandipur
Integrated Test Range (ITR) in Balasore district of
Odisha. These were second night trials of Prithvi-II
missile.
8. DRDO to double ASTRA’s range: Astra (Sanskrit word
for weapon) is an all-weather air-to-air missile
developed completely by DRDO. Currently, ASTRA is
capable of engaging targets upto a distance of 110 km.
9. The central government has banned Meghalaya-based
insurgent group ‘Hynniewtrep National Liberation
Council’ (HNLC).
Note: The union Govt. also notified that HNLC’s
activities are detrimental to the sovereignty and
integrity of India.
10. Pakistan successfully test fires Shaheen-1 surface-to-
surface ballistic missile:
Note: The test come days after India conducted the first
night trial of Agni-II surface-to-surface medium range
nuclear-capable missile having strike range of 2,000 km.
11. A three-day naval exercise is being conducted between
the Indian and Qatar Naval Forces -- Za’ir-Al-Bahr (Roar
of the Sea).
Note: The aim of the exercise is to enhance
interoperability between the naval forces.
12. Indian Army conducts Sindhu Sudarshan exercise in --
Barmer, Rajasthan.
Note:The annual exercise will test the operational
readiness and maneuver warfare capability of Indian
Army’s 21 Corps, one of the service’s three so-called
Strike Corps.
www.gradeup.co
13. India conducted its first night trial of AGNI II missile
successfully: It is the first night trial being tested by the
country. The nuclear capable missile was tested at the
Abdul Kalam Island of Odisha Coast.
14. Defence Minister inaugurates Sisseri River Bridge in
East Siang:The bridge will play an important role in the
overall development of the area and will immensely
contributes to the socio-economic development of the
region.
15. Ministry of Defence showcases the innovations of
iDEX initiative: The main objective of the event is to
showcase the accomplishments of iDEX-Innovations for
Defence Exellence.
16. IAF launches multiplayer version of ‘Indian Air Force –
A Cut Above’ game
Note: The game is a combat simulator that lets the
players choose from an array of IAF’s fighter aircraft,
such as Tejas, Rafale Mirage-2000, Su-30 among others.
17. First Tri-services amphibious exercise between India
and US: India and US are to jointly conduct Tiger
TRIUMP. It is to be conducted in Visakhapatnam and
Kakinada, Andhra Pradesh. It includes field training and
events that simulate humanitarian assistance in disaster
times.The event will also hold simulations in moving
disaster relief forces from ship to shore.
18. India- Indonesian Joint Naval exercise: Samudra Shakti
Note: This year is the second edition of India, Indonesia
Bilateral Naval Exercise. The inaugural edition of
exercise was held at the port of Surabaya, Indonesia in
November 2018.
19. The Indian Coast Guard (ICG) conducted the ‘Regional
Level Search and Rescue Workshop and Exercise 2019’:
ReSAREX- 19.
October
1. The Indo – Mongolian joint military training, Exercise (14th
edition) -- Nomadic Elephant-XIV.
Note: Nomadic Elephant-XIV is aimed at training troops in
counter insurgency & counter-terrorism operations under
United Nations mandate.
2. The first-ever India-Uzbekistan joint military exercise at
Uzbekistan –- Dustlik-2019.
3. The bilateral between the armies of India and France at
Rajasthan -- ‘Exercise SHAKTI’.
Note: It will be conducted from 31st October to 13th
November 2019 at Foreign Training Node in Mahajan Field
Firing Ranges.
4. The Indian Army (IA) will conduct exercise Sindhu Sudarshan
in 2019 in the deserts of Rajasthan.
106
Note: The two-day event was organised by Coast Guard
District Headquarters-11 (Goa) to test efficiency and
preparedness of ICG.
20. DRDO’s Igniter Complex inaugurated in Pune: The
main purpose of the laboratory is to design, process,
evaluate ignition systems for any kind of DRDO projects.
21. US-Bangladesh Navy exercise: CARAT- 2019
Note: The biggest US- Bangladesh Navy exercise dubbed
as ‘Cooperation Afloat Readiness and Training (CARAT) –
2019’ is being held in Chattogram (or Chittagong City) in
Bangladesh. The CARAT is a yearly exercise conducted
between the navies of Bangladesh and United States in
the Bay of Bengal. The first edition of exercise was held
in 2011.
22. Shanghai Cooperation Organization Joint Exercise:
SCOJtEx-2019
Note: Union Home Minister Amit Shah inaugurated the
Shanghai Cooperation Organization Joint Exercise on
Urban Earthquake Search and Rescue- ‘SCOJtEx-2019’ in
New Delhi.
23. India Uzbekistan joint Military Exercise: Dustlik 2019
Note: The Defence Minister Shri Raj Nath Singh during
his 3 day visit met the Indian contingent participating in
the joint exercise.
24. Brahmos missile is considered as one of the fastest
supersonic missiles. Philippines army is acquiring Indian-
manufactured weapon in order to strengthen its coastal
defences. In 2018, Indian PM Modi signed 4 bilateral
agreements during his visit to Philippines, and acquiring
Brahmos is one among them.
Note: The aim of this exercise is to evaluate the capability
of the defence services in an integrated air-land battle.
5. Two-day long manoeuvres by Sudarshan Chakra Vahini of
Indian Army Started held at – Jaisalmer.
Note: In this war exercise, the army is going to exhibit its
strength regarding Agni Missile and artillery
6. The India-Myanmar Naval Exercise is being organized in
Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh -- IMNEX-2019.
7. Andaman and Nicobar Command (ANC) has conducted the
2nd edition of Defence of Andaman & Nicobar Islands 2019 --
DANX-19.
8. Indian Air Force (IAF) kickstarted its bilateral joint exercise
with Royal Air Force Oman (RAFO)-- EX EASTERN BRIDGE-V.
 www.gradeup.co
9. Indian Air Force and Japanese Air Self Defence Force (JASDF)
carrying out a joint military air force exercise named -- Shinyuu
Maitri.
Note: The focus of the exercise will be to undertake Joint
Mobility and Tactical interoperability among the two
forces.
10. The 10th edition of the joint military exercise between India
and the US-- Vajra Prahar 2019.
Note: ‘Vajra Prahar’ is a Special Forces joint training
exercise conducted alternately in India and the US. Last
year, the exercise had taken place in Jaipur.
11. The 2nd joint military exercise to promote military cooperation
between India and Japan held in Mizoram-- ‘Dharma
Guardian-2019’
Note: Indian Army and Japanese Ground Self Defence
Forces (JGSDF) comprising 25 soldiers each will participate
in the exercise with an aim to share experience gained
during various Counter-Terrorism Operations in respective
Countries.
12. The 2nd edition of Coordinated Patrol (CORPAT) of the navies
of India and Bangladesh held at -- Northern Bay of Bengal.
13. Rajnath Singh creates history, becomes first Defence Minister
to fly Rafale jet – Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh
created history by becoming the first defence minister to fly
September
1. China launches its first Amphibious Assault Ship – China has
launched its first amphibious assault ship in Shanghai. This
ship would enable ground forces to carry out attacks on
enemy territory from sea.
2. INS Khanderi submarine commissioned into Indian Navy –
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on September 28,
2019 commissioned the INS Khanderi, the second
indigenously built Scorpene class submarine, into the Indian
Navy.
• INS Khanderi is fully automated and has been built
at the Mazagon Dock Shipbuilders Limited in
Mumbai
3. Rajnath Singh becomes 1st Defence Minister to fly in LCA
Tejas – Defence Minister Rajnath Singh becomes the first
defence minister to fly in the indigenously-built light combat
aircraft (LCA) Tejas.
• He flew in the Tejas fighter aircraft from the HAL
airport in Bengaluru.
4. White Water Rafting Expedition ‘Rudrashila’ Flagged off at
Jaisalmer – The White water Rafting Expedition christened
‘RUDRASHILA’ being undertaken by Kalidhar Battalion under
the aegis of Battle Axe Division was Flagged Off at Jaisalmer
Military station.
107
sortie in Rafale fighter jet from Dassault Aviation Mérignac
facility in France.
• The Defence Minister received the first of the 36
Rafale fighter jets on behalf of the Indian Air Force
(IAF) at Merignac in France.
14. China launched Dongfeng-41 (DF-41) intercontinental-range
ballistic missile – The missile is touted to be the most powerful
missile on the planet. It was launched during the National Day
parade, as China observed its 70th anniversary of Communist
rule.
• DF-41 has a range of up to 9,320 miles (15,000
kilometres), more than any missile on Earth.
15. Japan Launches “World’s Biggest Transport Space-Ship” for
Space Station – Japan launched an unmanned H-2B rocket
towards the International Space Station. The H-2B rocket lifted
off with cargo vessel Kounotori8, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries.
16. India successfully test-fired a land-attack version of BrahMos
supersonic missile from Chandipur coast in Odisha’s Balasore
district. DRDO conducted the test-fire successfully.
• The missile, with a strike range of 290km.
17. US military test fires Minuteman III ballistic missile – US
tested an unarmed Minuteman III intercontinental ballistic
missile. The missile was launched from the California base.
• The missile travelled 6,750 km across Pacific Ocean to
the Kwajalein Atoll in Marshall Islands.
• The expedition christened ‘Rudrashila’ has been
organised to commemorate the 75th Raising day of
the Kalidhar Battalion.
5. ICGS ‘Varaha’ commissioned – Defense Minister Rajnath
Singh has formally commissioned the Indian Coast Guard
offshore patrol vessel ‘Varaha’ at the Chennai Port Trust.
6. DRDO hands over second ‘Netra’ (AEWC) aircraft to IAF –
The Defence Research Development Organization (DRDO)
has handed over the second airborne warning plane, Netra,
to the Indian Air Force. The Netra, an Airborne Early
Warning and Control (AEWC) aircraft.
7. India successfully test-fires air-to-air missile Astra – India
has successfully test-fired air-to-air missile Astra from
Sukhoi-30 MKI. The indigenously developed missile was
tested off the coast of Odisha on September 17, 2019.
• Astra missile is India’s first indigenous air-to-air and
beyond visual range missile.
• The missile can engage targets of different ranges
and altitudes
• Astra missile has a strike range of over 70 km. It can
fly towards its target at a speed of over 5,555 km
per hour.
 www.gradeup.co
8. Shaheen VIII: joint bilateral aerial exercise between Pakistan
and China held in China’s Hotan City.
9. As part of Indian Navy’s Overseas Deployment to South East
Asia and Western Pacific, two Indian Navy warships, INS
Sahyadri and INS Kiltan arrived at Laem Chabang, Bangkok
for a port call from 31 August to 3 September 2019. The port
call is a demonstration of India’s warm ties with Thailand.
10. Pakistan test-fires nuclear-capable ballistic missile
Ghaznavi – Pakistan successfully conducted night training
launch of hypersonic surface-to-surface ballistic missile Hatf-
III Ghaznavi from Sonmiani test range in Balochistan.
11. Abhinandan Varthaman flies with IAF Chief BS Dhanoa on
his last sortie – Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman,
the recipient of Vir Chakra, flew with IAF Chief BS Dhanoa on
his last sortie aboard MiG-21 fighter aircraft on September
2, 2019.
• Indian Air Force Chief BS Dhanoa and Wing
Commander Abhinandan took off in MiG-21 trainer
from the Pathankot Airbase in Punjab and flew for
30 minutes.
12. Amazon India launches Military Veterans Employment
programme – Amazon India has launched a Military
Veterans Employment programme in country.
• This initiative of e-commerce giant will create
employment opportunities for military veterans as
well as their spouses across company’s sort centres,
delivery centres and fulfilment centres in India.
• For this, Amazon India has partnered with office of
Director-General of Resettlement (DGR),
13. IAF inducts 8 Apache AH-64E attack helicopters – The
Indian Air Force has inducted 8 Apache AH-64E attack
helicopters at the Pathankot Air Force station to enhance its
combat capabilities.
The Apache AH-64E helicopters are made by US
company Boeing and will give a major boots to
combat capabilities of Indian Air Force.

Important Days

December
01 Dec World AIDS Day
02 Dec World Computer Literacy Day, International Day for the Abolition of Slavery
03 Dec International Day of People with Disability or World Disability Day
04 Dec Indian Navy Day
07 Dec International Civil Aviation Day, Indian Armed Force Flag Day
09 Dec The International Anticorruption Day
10 Dec World Human Rights Day, International Children's Day of Broadcasting
11 Dec International Mountain Day, UNICEF Day
14 Dec National Energy Conservation Day (India)
16 Dec Vijay Diwas
18 Dec International Migrants Day, National Minority Rights Day
23 Dec National Farmer’s Day or Kisan Diwas
25 Dec Good Governance day

November

01 Nov World Vegan Day

2nd Nov The International Day to End Impunity for Crimes against Journalists

5th Nov World Tsunami Awareness Day (WTAD)

06 Nov
International Day for Preventing the Exploitation of the Environment in War and Armed Conflict

07 Nov National Cancer Awareness Day

108
www.gradeup.co
10 Nov World Science day for Peace and Development, Public Transport Day
11 Nov National Education Day
12 Nov World Pneumonia Day, Public Service Broadcasting Day
13 Nov World Kindness Day
14 Nov Children’s Day (India), World Diabetes Day
17 Nov
International Students Day, Gurunanak Dev's Birth Anniversary, National eplilepsy day
19 Nov World Toilet Day, International Men’s Day, National Integration Day
20 Nov Universal Children’s Day
26 Nov National Law Day or National constitution Day
30 Nov National Flag Day

October

1. October 1 - International Day of Older Persons (2019 8. October 8 – Air Force Day
Theme: The Journey to Age Equality) 9. October 9 - World Postal Day or World Post Office Day
2. October 1 - International Coffee Day 10. October 10 - World Mental Health Day
3. October 1 - World Vegetarian Day 11. October 11 - International Girl Child Day
4. October 2 - International Day of Non – Violence 12. October 13 - World Calamity Control Day
5. October 5 – World Teachers Day (2019 Theme: Young 13. October 14 - World Standards Day
Teachers: The Future of the Profession) 14. October 15 - World Students’ Day
6. October 7: World Habitat Day (2019 Theme: Frontier 15. October 16 - World Food Day
Technologies as an innovative tool to transform waste to 16. October 17 - International Poverty Eradication Day
wealth) 17. October 24 - United Nations Day
7. October 7 - World Cotton Day 18. October 31 - Rashtriya Ekta Diwas or National Unity Day
September

1. September 05 - International Day of Charity 6. September 21: Alzheimer’s Day; Day for Peace & Non-
2. September 08 - International Literacy Day (Theme - Literacy violence (UN)
and Multilingualism) 7. September 22: Rose Day (Welfare of cancer patients)
3. September 14: Hindi Diwas 8. September 23: International Day of Sign Languages
4. September 15: Engineers’ Day; International Day of 9. September 26: Day of the Deaf; World Contraception Day
Democracy 10. September 27: World Tourism Day; World Maritime Day
5. September 16: World Ozone Day; International Day for 11. September 29: World Heart Day
Preservation 12. September 30: International Translation Day

----------------All the Best---------------

109
www.gradeup.co

110